The Latest

by Wes Sanders

Open to all? SCOTUS decides Masterpiece

 

In a vote of 7 to 2, SCOTUS has decided that in this particular instance the Colorado Civil Right Commission’s actions were “inconsistent with the First Amendment’s guarantee that our laws be applied in a manner that is neutral toward religion.” The court went on to say in the future, “these disputes must be resolved with tolerance, without undue disrespect to sincere religious beliefs and without subjecting gay persons to indignities when they seek goods and services in an open market.” We’re working with our legal partners to understand exactly how this decision will impact LGBTQ people in Georgia. Continue reading →

by Wes Sanders

Early Voting Happening Now Across Georgia!

ELECTION UPDATE

Early Voting has begun across the state for the upcoming May 22nd primary election. CLICK HERE to find your early voting location and take your pride to the polls!! #Pride2Polls

Whether you are LGBTQ or an ally, the stakes in Georgia are too high to sit this one out! Join the growing number of voices voting for equality in our state!

Important Dates for this election:

Early voting: April 30 – May 18, 2018,
Mandatory Saturday voting: May 12, 2018.
Absentee voting: May 10 – 18.
For more information on early and early/absentee voting visit the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.

After you’ve voted, post a selfie on your social media accounts using #Pride2Polls so everyone knows you’ve voted, and they should too!

Click here to view Georgia Equality’s endorsed candidates.

by Wes Sanders

Coming Soon: Apply to be a Youth HIV Policy Advisor

We created the Youth HIV Policy Advisor Program (YHPA) program because “all laws and policies related to HIV should be informed by the experiences of people living with HIV.” To that end, we felt it was critical to train young people living with HIV in Metro Atlanta on policy and advocacy, providing them tools and resources to go forward and educate state, city, and county-level policymakers on HIV-related policy issues. Continue reading →

by Wes Sanders

Georgia HIV/AIDS Advocates travel to Washington, DC to lobby Congress

Last month, almost 550 people living with HIV and their allies converged upon the offices of more than 200 members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as part of the 25th anniversary gathering of AIDS Watch, the largest constituent-based annual HIV advocacy event in the nation. Georgia was well represented, with over 40 individuals making the trek to the nation’s capital. Among those participating in this year’s AIDS Watch, were our Joan P. Garner Scholarship Fund Receipt, Jennifer Barnes and Thrive SS/Georgia Equality Fellow, Mahlon Randolph.

Special shout out to local Atlanta all-trans band, Exquisite Gender who  raised $1,700 to support the Joan P. Garner AIDS Watch Scholarship fund that is used to send a local young person living with HIV to Washington, DC to speak directly with members of Congress and their staffs about the needs of young people living with HIV in Georgia! To make a donation to the Joan P. Garner Scholarship Fund, click here. Continue reading →

by Wes Sanders

Our hard work is paying off and this is only the beginning. Join us.

Another legislative session is over in Georgia and because of supporters like you we were able to stop all attempts at passing discriminatory legislation for the 5th year in a row!

So, to you we say thank you! While we celebrate our success though, we’re not resting at Georgia Equality. We know that bills like this will be back next year and we’re already ramping-up our efforts to educate Georgians that we need comprehensive non-discrimination measures rather than limited legislation that creates a license to discriminate.
Continue reading →