ATLANTA – A new Williams Institute report has found that anti-LGBT discrimination and inequities is costing Georgia’s economy. The report, released today, highlighted Georgia’s weak civil rights protections and the associated stigmas and stresses that vulnerable legal standing creates for LGBT people. The report estimates that reducing those stresses by even just a quarter among Georgia’s LGBT workforce would gain the state’s economy upwards of $147 million in revenue. Another red flag raised in the study: Georgia’s weak – and sometimes hostile – laws, making the state less attractive to young, talented workers. In fact, the report estimates the state loses more than $9,000 for each employee that changes jobs or leaves the state. Continue reading →

 Georgia’s current civil rights protections are among the weakest in the nation

ATLANTA – Civil rights and religious leaders from across Georgia gathered at the Capitol today to release a new report detailing the growing need to update and strengthen Georgia’s existing non-discrimination protections. The report, Liberty and Justice in Georgia: Protecting Our Heritage and Growing Our Competitive Future, was commissioned by Georgia Unites Against Discrimination and includes an executive summary authored by former Bush and Reagan administration official Joe Whitley. The report details the legal need and economic imperative to ensure all Georgians are uniformly and explicitly protected from discrimination. Continue reading →