Georgia has some of the harshest HIV criminalization in the US – and Georgia Equality wants to address that head on by introducing our new fellowship program, Ending the Epidemic Policy Fellowship, funded by the Elton John Aids Foundation. 

The former President’s plan to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 is built around four pillars: Diagnose, Treat, Protect, and Respond. The fourth pillar, focuses on establishing an HIV health force with “boots on the ground” health professionals. While this is an important element, equally as important is the need to develop HIV policy advocates and leaders who are equipped to identify emergent issues and bring them to the attention of policymakers, create policy solutions that help remedy structural issues that drive the epidemic in marginalized communities, and to find political allies and policy making windows that make it possible to advance public health. 

For the “boots on the ground”, Georgia Equality is looking to hire three recent graduates for its Ending the Epidemic Policy Fellowship. The fellowship places recent graduates with backgrounds in public health, public administration, public policy, and/or other related fields at Georgia Equality for a 12-month immersion into the policy-making process. Fellows apply their academic training, critical thinking, and analytical skills to support evidence-informed, decision-making that addresses HIV policy challenges on a local and statewide level. Fellows should have an understanding of the systemic structures that create barriers for marginalized communities and warp our response to the HIV epidemic, especially along lines of race, gender, and sexual orientation. 

Georgia Equality’s Ending the Epidemic Policy Fellowship Program provides comprehensive policy training at the intersections of LGBTQ health, race, policy and geography to early-career professionals with an interest in working in the HIV policy space. The project will specifically prioritize individuals living with and vulnerable to HIV from minority and underrepresented communities who are committed to acquiring the skills, knowledge and experiences to participate in the policy process at the state and local level and use their training to improve health, health care, and health policy towards ending the epidemic by 2030. 

 

For more information or to apply, please visit our employment page, here:

https://georgiaequality.org/about/employment-internships/

Georgia Equality has spent the last year cultivating meaningful online advocacy opportunities that have had real impact. We are so proud of what we accomplished not only in the General and Run-off Elections, but also in the wrap up of the 2020 legislative session this June when we passed LGBTQ-inclusive Hate Crimes Legislation. We are one of the few organizations that have already hosted a digital advocacy day with our partners at Cover Georgia and we are ready to take our advocacy to the next level.

Already we have seen unprecedented attacks on our voting laws and harmful anti-trans legislation, and we are only on day 12 of the legislative session. It is more important than ever to stay engaged and continue to make our voices heard. In the coming weeks, Georgia Equality will be reaching out through social media, grassroots letters to the editor campaigns, phone and text banks, not to mention webinars and trainings. Please look at the schedule below and join the movement today. It will take all of us to stop the regressive forces that want to punish marginalized communities for daring to speak up and show out. But together, we can and will overcome.

 

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Training Schedule

 

Feb 6, 2021 – HIV Advocacy: https://secure.everyaction.com/DgLx-yvuqUeFGUwcT-AMFw2

Feb 9, 2021 – Digital Advocacy Outreach: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItdumhqDsvHdap9bewODSHD335Gh03LMgR

Feb 16, 2021 – Letters to the Editor Workshop: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpcuGgpz4qH9ySGE80vcYiG4mqm0jAQafP

Feb 20, 2021 – Transgender Advocacy: https://secure.everyaction.com/OoKgu_y-ckWZy-YKBwN8DA2

March 6, 2021 – Federal Issues Advocacy: https://secure.everyaction.com/O6bfP5ezSkaCdbiobXvfAA2

March 20, 2021 – Local Issues Advocacy: https://secure.everyaction.com/4b_9otaLyEuwqrqzo7Ub9w2

While many of us were celebrating the results of the January 5 runoff election and inauguration of President Biden, the Georgia General Assembly began the start of their two-year legislative session.  The month of January was spent primarily on organizing committees, finalizing leadership positions and hearing testimony on the state budget.  Here at Georgia Equality we held the first of a series of advocacy trainings and began to firm up our plans regarding the legislation we would support and meet with coalition partners to discuss how to fight against bills we oppose.

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