The Latest

by Wes Sanders

ACTION ALERT: Urge support for increased funding for ADAP NOW!!

Members of the State Senate are beginning conversations TODAY on the potential for increased funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, and they need to hear from us RIGHT NOW! Click here to send your message.

A $15.4 million increase for the Georgia AIDS Drug Assistance Program has been proposed by House Public Health Subcommittee of Appropriations Chair Butch Parrish– this is our chance to make sure that the more than 12,000 Georgians living with HIV who cannot otherwise afford it, will not go without access to life saving medication.

In addition to saving the lives of the individuals enrolled in ADAP, access to treatment for HIV works to prevent the spread of the virus as well– treatment is prevention. Georgia is poised to make dramatic inroads to contain the spread of HIV in our communities and reverse a mortality rate from AIDS that remains one of the worst in the country, but only if the Department of Public Health and county health departments throughout Georgia have the funding they need to provide these services. Send your message now!

by abryant

Nomination of Rachel Levine for HHS Secretary a Game Changer in Georgia

Atlanta (Jan 27, 2021)– Last week, President Joe Biden announced his nomination of Rachel Levine, MD, to serve as Assistant Secretary for Health in the US Department of Health and Human Services. Pending Senate confirmation, Dr. Levine will become the first openly transgender official confirmed by the US Senate.

“Dr. Levine’s nomination is important for many reasons, but what rises to the top for me is the importance of having a trans person testifying in front of the US Senate not about her gender. This is the kind of progress that works to end so many myths about trans people,” said Georgia Equality’s Gender Policy Manager, Chanel Haley. Continue reading →

by abryant

We Thank You!

 

Like many of you, I’ve spent the last few days fairly speechless. If you’ve ever volunteered with Georgia Equality, you know that is saying something. I’m rarely at a loss for words. I was raised in a civically engaged home. I’ve eagerly followed elections since I was a child and we often said in our home that politics were our favorite sport. I’ve always had a passion for history and governance. But nothing in my short 35 years on this earth could prepare me for this week. 

The events on Wednesday were horrific and deeply painful for those that fight so hard for equality and justice. Important discussions about white supremacy, authoritarianism, and sedition are continuing. This country’s moment of reckoning is far from over. 

Continue reading →

by abryant

Historic outreach efforts led by Georgia Equality to LGBTQ and Pro-Equality Voters in Georgia Make the Difference

Atlanta (1/6/20)– With several days until every last vote is counted and the election of Georgia’s US Senators is certified, one thing is certain– historic levels of turnout appear to be what made the difference, including an unprecedented level of engagement from Georgia’s LGBTQ community. 

Over the past 8 weeks Georgia Equality has deployed a Get Out The Vote campaign the likes of which the organization has never executed before. Twenty, (majority people of color and under 30 years old), election staffers and 450 volunteers completed over 110,000 volunteer hours. We called over 25,000 people and had over 6,600 phone conversations with voters. We sent hundreds of thousands of text messages and completed over 450,000 total voter contacts. The volunteer program was bolstered by a state-wide paid phone program in the final week of the election that reached 135,000 voters, a direct mail campaign that reached 600,000 households,  a targeted digital effort that resulted in 14 million total impressions, generated over 12K total website clicks and had over 3.3 million video completions, and pro-equality radio spots in Savannah.

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by Wes Sanders

change is happening

Friend,

I’ll be honest, I’m looking forward to waking up tomorrow in a new year. 2020 has been like no other, and while it’s easy to name all the bad this year brought, I’d like to use my last email of the year focusing on what we’ve been able to accomplish together. In spite of all of it, we have so much to be proud of, and I hope you’ll chip in right now to make sure this work continues next year.

In January, we helped make Brookhaven the seventh municipality in Georgia to pass a non-discrimination ordinance specifically prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing, employment, and public spaces.

We spent February ensuring that no anti-LGBTQ legislation passed in Georgia, for the seventh year in a row.

Continue reading →