Georgia Equality members and supporters in DeKalb County, 

On April 14th, our board voted to endorse Michelle Long Spears in the Dekalb County District Two Commissioner race, and subsequently released that endorsement decision publicly on April 22.  In the intervening days, on April 19th at a candidate forum, Ms. Spears chose to refer to the civil rights and civil liberties demonstrations that rocked and educated the nation and the world in 2020 by using the words “racial uprising” several times. Ms. Spears, in reference to those statements, apologized after being confronted. 

As a board, we agree with our colleagues at Georgia Conservation Voters in their statement to rescinded their endorsement of Ms. Spears. “We believe that demands for justice and equity should never be demeaned. Language matters, and Ms. Spears’ statements regarding the BLM movement and the racial inequality in our communities is insensitive and damaging to the work we do…” 

We aim to endorse candidates who share our commitment to acknowledging our LGBTQIA community as a valuable component of an inclusive and equitable Georgia, which necessarily includes a commitment to racial equity. Ms. Spears’ words do not demonstrate that commitment, and as a result, the board has voted to rescind our endorsement of Ms. Spears in the DeKalb County District Two Commissioner race. 

 

Patricia Lassiter, Board Chair
Georgia Equality

 

published by the Atlanta Journal Constitution on April 19, 2022

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The Board of Directors of Georgia Equality, the state’s largest advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Georgians and allies, is proud to announce its first round of endorsements in primary and nonpartisan races for the upcoming 2022 election cycle. 

“We have just concluded an historic legislative session for LGBTQ Georgians, and we know better than ever that if our movement toward full equality in Georgia is to continue to see success, it is imperative that LGBTQ Georgians and our allies are represented at all levels of government.  It is vital for us to support and elect officials who are guided by a fundamental belief in LGBTQ equality and aren’t afraid to stand up and say so ” said Jeff Graham, executive director at Georgia Equality.

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After midnight last night, in the waning minutes of the legislative session and while many Georgians slept, the Georgia legislature passed a bill establishing an oversight committee to determine whether or not transgender girls should be able to compete in school sports in Georgia. The legislature spent significant time and effort this session to address the mental health crisis in Georgia, yet took swift action that walks back this good by caving into political pressure from Governor Kemp to join him in his goal of bullying transgender youth.

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Late last night, the state legislature finished its 28th legislative day, or Crossover Day — and I’ve got good news. Because SB 613, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, was not voted on by the full Senate, it is dead for the year!

 

Since it was filed 5 days ago, over 2,500 Georgians sent messages to their State Senator to stop this bill. I want to say a special THANK YOU to each person who sent a message and shared it with your community. We did this.

 

In all, SEVEN anti-LGBTQ bills were filed during the 2021-2022 legislative session, and now, we’ve stopped all of them but one — SB 435 (the trans athlete ban). We will continue to monitor the work of the General Assembly to make sure the language of SB 613 doesn’t resurrect, and to stop SB 435 once and for all.

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