Early Voting has begun across Georgia for the upcoming August 11th primary runoff election. LGBTQ Equality voters from all over the state helped 77% of Georgia Equality’s endorsed candidates win their races or advanced to THIS runoff. From the state legislature to county commission and judicial seats, we elected pro-LGBTQ candidates because of you!

AND NOW WE HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN!
CLICK HERE to find your early voting location, or information on voting by mail.

Whether you are LGBTQ or an ally, the stakes in Georgia are too high to sit this one out! With voter turnout expected to be extremely low in runoff elections, this is an opportunity for LGBTQ voters and our allies to have a major impact on who serves in elected office.

Important Dates for this election:
Early voting: NOW – August 7, 2020
Election Day: August 11, 2020
For more information on early and absentee voting visit the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.

The following candidates have been endorsed by the Board of Directors of Georgia Equality in the primary runoff elections on August 11th:

State House of Representatives:
House District 35: Kyle Rinaudo (D)
House District 83: Michele Henson, i (D)
House District 163: Anne Allen Westbrook (D)

Municipal Candidates:
Cobb County Board of Commissioners, District 4: Monique Sheffield
DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, District 1: Robert Patrick
DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, District 6: Edward “Ted” Terry
Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, District 3: Derrick Wilson
Macon-Bibb County Board of Commissioners, District 5: Seth Clark

Judicial Candidates:
Fulton County Superior Court Judge (seat being vacated by Judge Russell): Melynee Leftridge Harris
Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge: Kathy Schrader, i

For more information on Georgia Equality’s Endorsed Candidates, please visit our website at: https://georgiaequalitypac.org/home/2020endorsements/

Last night Savannah became the ninth city in Georgia to enact a local nondiscrimination ordinance that ensures no one can be denied a job, a home, or a service in a public place because they’re LGBTQ.

Thanks to the effort of local advocates and city leaders like Mayor Van Johnson and Alderman Kurtis Purtee, LGBTQ Georgians who live and work in Savannah will now have immediate protections against discrimination. Continue reading →

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2020

Hate Crime Bill Becomes Law in Georgia 

The first law to ever specifically protect LGBTQ Georgians.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA –

Georgia Equality joins our partners at ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today in celebrating Governor Brian Kemp signing into law House Bill 426 – the “Georgia Enhanced Penalties for Hate Crimes Act.”  The new law’s protections go into effect immediately.  ADL leads the Hate Free Georgia Coalition, which played an important role in securing the passage of HB 426.

“Today, we are elated to participate in this historic moment for Georgia, which was decades in the making,”  said Dr. Allison Padilla-Goodman, ADL Vice President, Southern Division.  “Governor Kemp’s signing of HB 426 sends the resounding message that all Georgians’ identities are a valuable part of our State.  It recognizes that Georgia will not tolerate crimes that terrorize and alienate entire communities. We are thrilled that Georgia is joining the 45 other states with hate crimes laws,” said Padilla-Goodman.

Continue reading →

Today the US Supreme Court issued its decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. In a vote of 6 to 3, the Court has decided that “an employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.” In the midst of the COVID-19 health crisis and vitally important nationwide demonstrations in support of Black lives and against systemic racism, this decision is heartening and encouraging.

The Supreme Court has ruled that companies don’t have a right to discriminate against LGBTQ people in the workplace. This historic decision says that LGBTQ people are, and should be, protected from discrimination under federal law.

 

Georgia Equality will host a townhall meeting tonight (6/15/20) at 6:00 PM on Facebook Live to discuss the impact of the ruling in Georgia. Visit facebook.com/gaequality

Continue reading →