The criminal legal system has failed time and time again to uphold the most basic tenet of democracy, that of equality. The American criminal legal system is indeed broken, and has proven itself deeply dysfunctional, consistently dangerous, and quite literally deadly. Black people, many of whom are LGBTQ, bear the brunt of racial disparities in every facet of the institution, from arrests to sentencing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the killing of black people by police. As early as elementary school, black children are overly policed, resulting in the spectrum of criminalization referred to as the school-to-prison pipeline. We as LGBTQ organizations cannot back away from this outrageous injustice.
Equality News
Learn more: City of Atlanta HOPWA Special Conditions
City/County Level COVID-19 Community Resources
Find community and resources with the following organizations and efforts. While Georgia Equality has not worked with or vetted each organization, effort, or campaign listed, we are excited to promote resources and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ people. Please do your own research before providing any organization with personal information or resources. Let us know if you would like to be listed as a resource.
Athens-Clarke County Resources
Gwinnett County Resources
Macon-Bibb County Resources
Savannah-Chatham County Resources
What the LGBTQ community needs to know about COVID-19
As the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) increases, many LGBTQ people are understandably concerned about how this virus may affect us and our communities. Georgia Equality joined over 100 community organizations to highlight the LGBTQ community’s increased vulnerability to the Coronavirus. As LGBTQ community leaders, we stand with health leaders to make sure we do not allow any population to be disproportionately impacted or further stigmatized by the virus.
Continue reading
Reflections at 25: Cindy Abel
As we continue celebrating our 25th anniversary, we pause to look back at the people and events that shaped Georgia Equality.
Cindy Abel, an Atlanta LGBTQ filmmaker, served as the first Executive Director of Georgia Equality. Cindy previously served as the Director of Stonewall Cincinnati and relocated to Atlanta to be Executive Director for the small, newly founded LGBTQ organization. At the time, Georgia Equality had no full-time staff and desperately needed full-time support to work on fundraising and increasing visibility. As for the political landscape – the State Capitol, according to Cindy, was “not a welcoming climate – to put it mildly.” “This was in the wake of the Otherside Lounge bombing of February of 1997 and LGBT relations were tense. Most work with the legislature involved stopping ‘anti-bills,’ and it was hard to promote anything for LGBT equality. We were mostly fighting off harmful initiatives,“ she continued.