Thursday was a historic day in the Georgia General Assembly.

For the first time ever, lawmakers have introduced comprehensive civil rights legislation. Senate Bill 119 would ensure no Georgian can be fired, evicted or denied service in public places like parks, malls and restaurants because of their race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Similar bills have been introduced before but never one that applies these protections to LGBT Georgians. This bold move for equality comes from Senator Lester Jackson (D-Savannah), who co-sponsored the bill with five of his colleagues.

It’s hard to overstate what a game-changer this bill could be for all Georgians. Right now, Georgia is one of only three states that have no laws barring employers from discriminating on the basis of race or religion. Georgia is one of only five that have a similarly lax stance toward race- and faith-based discrimination in public places. And because there are no state or federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people, they are the most vulnerable.

In fact, according to a new report that looks at the human and economic consequences of this lack of protections, nearly half of LGBT Georgians say they have been discriminated against at work. Without comprehensive, statewide civil rights legislation like SB 119 on the books, this kind of discrimination is legal.

But not only is this legislation historic, it represents a dramatic departure from what lawmakers have spent the first weeks of the legislative session doing for the last three years, which is pushing legislation that would explicitly codify LGBT discrimination into state law.

Senate Bill 119 is a welcome—and long overdue—change. Already, a groundswell of support for this bill is taking off, and Georgia Unites is hoping other lawmakers will soon follow Sen. Jackson’s and his colleagues’ lead.

Today, the Williams Institute released a landmark report that investigates the economic implications of LGBT discrimination—and the costs are high.

The report makes the case that “stigma and discrimination have been linked to negative economic impacts on governments, businesses, and the economy,” and looks at three criteria: discrimination in employment and other settings; bullying and family rejection of youth; and health disparities experienced by LGBT people.

According to the report, employment discrimination against LGBT people could cost Georgia taxpayers $1,048,000 in state Medicaid expenditures. Individual public and private employers stand to lose $9,100 per employee that leaves the state or changes jobs because of workplace discrimination.

These figures do not include the immeasurable cost of decreased productivity in an employee experiencing stigma and discrimination on the job; or in a manager whose time is consumed by hiring due to difficulties in recruitment and low employee retention rates.

With nearly 1 in 4 LGBT respondents of a 2011 Phillip Rush Center survey reporting workplace discrimination, and nearly 1 in 2 (45%) reporting harassment on the job, rates of unemployment and underemployement are also high among this population. This can lead to a loss of housing, which ultimately costs taxpayers nearly $500,000 every year in public funding to homeless shelters.

Rates of discrimination increase exponentially among Georgia’s transgender population, with 80% of respondents to a 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey reporting experiencing harassment or mistreatment at work. Twenty three percent (23%) of transgender respondents reported experiencing homelessness versus 6% of respondents to the LGBT survey.

The Williams Institute also reports that stigma and discrimination put gay and transgender Georgians at higher risk for major depressive disorders and smoking. As a direct result of these health disparities, Georgia’s economy could be losing an additional $255.9 million each year on skyrocketing healthcare costs.

These numbers are dramatic. All told, Georgia is losing hundreds of millions of dollars per year because of LGBT discrimination.

Right now, Georgia ranks 38th in the nation on public support for LGBT rights and acceptance of LGBT people. And our state has some of the most lax non-discrimination laws in the country—with no explicit protections at the state level.

With more than 300,000 LGBT adults and 58,200 LGBT youth living in Georgia, it’s time that we start taking steps to ensure this population is protected from discrimination and start building the foundation for a stronger economic future.

Non-discrimination legislation would help reduce rates of stigma and discrimination against LGBT Georgians, increase overall economic productivity, and reduce avoidable expenditures on healthcare and other public programs. This solution is good for ALL Georgians.

You can read the Williams Institute’s full report here.

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.

The Williams Institute study comes just weeks after the Georgia Unites Against Discrimination coalition released a groundbreaking report making the economic and legal case for comprehensive nondiscrimination protections in Georgia.

“The evidence is overwhelming that discrimination is bad for Georgia – it’s bad for our communities and our economy,” said Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality. “The evidence is also clear that, by strengthening our laws to protect all Georgians – regardless of their faith, sexual orientation, or gender identity – we’ll strengthen our business climate, burnish our brand, and deliver a better quality of life to all Georgians.”

In the executive summary of the Georgia Unites report, conservative attorney Joe Whitley wrote: “It’s time for Georgia lawmakers to address our state’s outdated protections, and expand them to include common-sense protections for all Georgians from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations. Such a move would bring Georgia in-line with the vast majority of states across the nation.” Whitley served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

The new Williams Institute study is available here. The Georgia Unites civil rights report can be accessed here.

Just a week after the release of our landmark report on the need for non-discrimination protections, a new national coalition has launched to promote local action on LGBT non-discrimination protections—and Georgia mayors are at the forefront.

Mayors Against LGBT Discrimination is a bipartisan coalition of municipal leaders from across the country dedicated to securing inclusive non-discrimination protections, including for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. As of its unveiling this morning, the coalition includes 175 mayors from 42 states, including Patricia Garrett of Decatur, Janquell Peters of East Point City, Ted Terry of Clarkson, and Kasim Reed of Atlanta.

The group was formed in recognition of the unique role mayors play in protecting LGBT people from discrimination. Mayors can be champions of local efforts to enact LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination ordinances, efforts that fill the gap left by a lack of statewide protections.

Last week’s kickoff of Mayors Against LGBT Discrimination dovetails with the release of our new report showing that Georgia has some of the most lax non-discrimination laws in the country.

According to the report, Liberty & Justice in Georgia: Protecting Our Heritage & Growing Our Competitive Future, Georgia is one of a handful of states that have no statewide laws prohibiting discrimination based on race or religion, as well as sexual orientation and gender identity. Without protections, almost half of LGBT Georgians report having faced discrimination at work.

And Georgia’s economy suffers for it: The Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau have estimated that passing discriminatory bills statewide could cost Georgia $1 to $2 billion in economic investment.

But in cities like Atlanta—which has a local LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance—the economy is booming. Atlanta managed to exceed a 100% rating on this year’s Municipal Equality Index, and the city’s attention to inclusivity has been instrumental in its ability to attract major tourist events, like the 2019 Super Bowl, and major companies, like GE.

This year, Georgia must commit to expanding non-discrimination protections for LGBT people. Our economy and so many people’s lives depend on it. The rising tide of local support for these protections nationwide is an important first-step to eliminating discrimination—but it is critical that state lawmakers work advance statewide protections, too, and ensure all Georgians are explicitly protected from discrimination under the law. If you agree, click here to sign our pledge urging lawmakers to pass LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination laws in Georgia.

Right now, Georgia is one of the only states that lacks statewide non-discrimination laws. We know there is a strong economic and legal case to be made for civil rights protections, and that’s why we’re proud today to release a report entitled Liberty & Justice in Georgia: Protecting Our Heritage & Growing Our Competitive Future to make that case.

As Joe Whitley, a conservative attorney who served as the Acting United States Associate Attorney General in the Bush Administration, writes in the executive summary of the report: “The average Georgian [is] significantly more susceptible to discrimination than the average U.S. citizen.”

Georgia is one of only three states that have no laws barring employers from discriminating on the basis of race or religion. We’re one of only five that have a similarly lax stance toward race- and faith-based discrimination in public places. And—because our laws lack any civil rights protections for LGBT people—gay and transgender Georgians can be fired, evicted and denied service in public places like parks, malls and restaurants because of your sexual orientation or gender identity.

This status quo puts all Georgians at risk, and LGBT Georgians are some of the most vulnerable. According to surveys that we have included in our report, 45% of LGBT Georgians say they have been discriminated against or harassed at work over the last year.

“The average Georgian [is] significantly more susceptible to discrimination than the average U.S. citizen.” -Joe Whitley

Discrimination is unacceptable, and many employers know it. North Carolina lost nearly a billion dollars in investment and tourism opportunities, as well as thousands of jobs, after the state’s anti-LGBT HB 2 drove companies like PayPal, Deutsche Bank, and CoStar to freeze planned expansions and the NBA and NCAA to pull major championship games.

Here in Georgia, the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau have estimated that Georgia could lose $1 to $2 billion by passing NC-style laws. That’s because our tourism industry brings in about $50 billion annually and is responsible for 400,000 jobs—a tenth of our economy. Georgia’s film industry—the third largest in the country—has voiced its strong opposition to anti-LGBT measures, with businesses like Disney, Marvel and AMC threatening to pull productions from the state if lawmakers advance discriminatory legislation. It brings in $7 billion a year and supports 80,000 jobs.

The bottom line is: Comprehensive non-discrimination protections are a critical component of keeping Georgia’s economy vibrant and growing. Right now, the lack of these protections is putting Georgia businesses at a competitive disadvantage.

In 2017, Georgia has the opportunity to chart a new path forward. For three years in a row now, legislation that would have codified discrimination into Georgia law has failed with bipartisan support. But going forward, it’s not enough to reject discriminatory proposals. We must take steps, Republicans and Democrats alike, to advance civil rights protections for hardworking Georgians and the future of our state’s economy.

Enacting statewide non-discrimination protections is the clear path forward. Click here to pledge your support for passing comprehensive non-discrimination protections in 2017.

And you can click here to read our full report, Liberty & Justice in Georgia: Protecting Our Heritage & Growing Our Competitive Future.

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.

“No one wants to spend another year debating hostile and discriminatory bills that will hurt our communities and tarnish our state. But we can and we should start talking about what we can do to make our communities and our state stronger,” said Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality. “We have a unique opportunity to begin a dialogue that can move our state forward and ensure everyone – whether they’re LGBT or people of faith, or LGBT people of faith – feels respected and protected in Georgia. Last year, we saw how lawmakers could damage our state’s brand. This year, we believe we have a roadmap for lawmakers that will ensure they can instead strengthen our state’s image.”

Speakers at today’s press event included Graham, Whitley, Georgia NAACP president Francys Johnson, and three faith leaders from Faith in Public Life — Rev. Caroline Magee of St. Bedes Episcopal; Rabbi Loren Lapidus, The Temple; and Rev. Gerald Durley, former pastor of Providence Missionary Baptist Church.

Georgia currently has some of the weakest civil rights protections of any state in the nation. According to Liberty and Justice in Georgia, the Peach State:

• Has no law that prevents local businesses from refusing service to patrons because of their religious beliefs
• Has no law preventing landowners from refusing to rent or sell to someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity
• Is one of only three states which does not prohibit private employer discrimination on the basis of factors including race or religion
• Is one of only five states that allows racial and religious discrimination in businesses open to the public
• Is one of only five states lacking legal public accommodations protections for residents

The full report is available online here.

Today marks the first day of the 2017 Georgia legislative session. And as of now, the future of LGBT rights in the Peach State remains a question mark.

This time last year, LGBT Georgians were already square in the line of fire with lawmakers floating a couple of religious exemptions bills designed to give “license to discriminate” in the name of religion before the legislative session even started.

The fact that legislators have not yet proposed any anti-LGBT bills bodes hopeful.

However, last week Sen. Josh McKoon, a long-time advocate of so-called “religious liberty” legislation—which aims to codify anti-LGBT discrimination into law under the guise of protecting religious freedom—was in the media almost every day threatening a fourth-year “religious liberty” debate in 2017.

He indicated that anti-LGBT legislation could be introduced as soon as today.

But while Sen. McKoon digs in on his discriminatory agenda, he may find himself left out in the cold by his Republican counterparts.

In a move viewed as a covert effort to disarm McKoon, Republican leadership in the Senate recently stripped the senator of his chairmanship in an unprecedented merger of two judiciary committees. And Republican Speaker of the House, David Ralston—who has a history of bad blood with McKoon—has made statements that he is not interested in a fourth-year “religious liberty” fight in the Georgia legislature.

Georgia lawmakers have tried to advance discriminatory anti-LGBT bills for three years in a row. And they have failed. Last year, HB 757—Georgia’s “License to Discriminate” bill—cleared the legislature only to be vetoed by standing Governor Nathan Deal.

Gov. Deal’s veto and current reticence among Republican leadership for a 2017 “religious liberty” fight signals growing awareness of the dire consequences of anti-LGBT discrimination.

Within a week of Gov. Deal’s HB 757 veto, North Carolina then governor, Pat McCrory, signed HB 2—one of the most egregiously anti-LGBT laws in the country.

Since then, North Carolina has suffered devastating economic boycotts—from the tech industry, to national sports organizations, to conventions and tourism businesses, and entertainers—which have cost the state as much as $1 billion dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs in just 9 months.

HB 2 also contributed to Gov. McCrory’s election loss.

This year, Georgia lawmakers have an opportunity to chart a new course. Click here to send a message and urge your legislators to seize the moment: Leave anti-LGBT legislation in the past, and come together to advance policy that helps build Georgia’s brand as one of the top states in the nation to settle down and do business.