The Latest

by Jessica Douglas

PRESS RELEASE: CITY OF TUCKER PASSES LGBTQ INCLUSIVE NONDISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE

Georgia’s 15th municipality to pass such an ordinance.

TUCKER, Georgia (June 13, 2023) – Last night, in a 6-1 vote, the Tucker City Council passed their nondiscrimination ordinance– providing critical protections to LGBTQ folks and other marginalized groups. Tucker became Georgia’s 15th municipality to offer such protections to those who live, work, and visit there.

“Thanks to the hard work of local advocates in Tucker, the passage of this ordinance ensures 38,000 more Georgians are provided the necessary protections from discrimination that we all deserve,” said Jeff Graham, Georgia Equality’s executive director. “All of us at Georgia Equality are proud to have been involved in this work, as we continue pushing for the passage of these protections in cities and counties across Georgia.”

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by Jessica Douglas

PRESS RELEASE: GEORGIA EQUALITY RESPONDS TO INCREASE IN ANTI-LGBTQ RHETORIC, VIOLENCE

by Jessica Douglas

Action Alert: Urge Congress to OPPOSE HR 734

This week, Congress will hear HR 734– a bill to ban transgender youth from participating in sports. This bill is a clear attempt to put politics over the well-being of transgender youth. It must be stopped– Send a message to your Congressperson, RIGHT NOW, and urge them to oppose HR 734!

SEND YOUR MESSAGE NOW

HR 734 would force an already vulnerable group of young people in Georgia Continue reading →

by Jessica Douglas

Black LGBTQ History w/ Dr. Ashley Coleman Taylor

In honor of Black History Month, Georgia Equality was fortunate to interview historian Dr. Ashley Coleman Taylor. Dr. Coleman Taylor has worked on the oral history project, Atlanta as Black Queer Space, for several years.

The interview is conducted by Kermit Thomas, state outreach manager, denoted by “K,” and Dr. Coleman Taylor, “A,” and it explores race, space, identity, the ever-changing politics of the south, and more.

 

K: Could you introduce yourself and the project you’re working on?

A: I’m Ashley Coleman Taylor and I am an Atlanta native; my family has been in Atlanta since the 1970s. I am a professor of Religious Studies and Women and Gender Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. My work is primarily about Black embodiment, Black gender, sexuality, and Africana religions. My work is situated in Puerto Rico and also Atlanta. 

K: Can you tell us a little about your work in Puerto Rico and Atlanta?

A: Yeah, so in the Puerto Rico work, I look at religion as a tool of white supremacy, so I look at how it’s impacted Black and Indigenous embodiment in Puerto Rico. I particularly focus on Black women and how they use their bodies as tools of resistance; to resist racism, sexism, classism, and coloniality. My Atlanta work is an oral history project with Black LGBTQ elders, so I look at how they have used their bodies as tools in the fight for social justice as activists over decades.

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by abryant

Georgia Equality Applauds the Passage of the Respect for Marriage Act by the US Congress and Calls for Further Action

Today, the US House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act with a strong bipartisan vote, reaffirming the freedom to marry for hundreds of thousands of same-sex and interracial Georgians, and couples nationwide! The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.

“Recognizing the importance of marriage, acknowledging that diverse beliefs and the people who hold them are due respect, and affirming that couples, including same-sex and interracial couples, deserve the dignity, stability, and ongoing protection of marriage is an important milestone,” said Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality. “And the strong bi-partisan support of members in both chambers of Congress and support from a diverse set of conservative faith voices, is a hopeful recognition that supporting LGBTQ rights is not in conflict with conservative values.”

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