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CLICK HERE to read the original article on Saporta Report.
By David Pendered
Human rights advocates on Wednesday called upon Georgia lawmakers to pass civil rights legislation, shortly after they said they delivered to Gov. Nathan Deal 75,000 emails urging lawmakers to vote against the pending religious liberty bill.
“2016 is the time to do what is just, to turn away from a darker time in our history,” said Simone Bell, southern regional director of Lambda Legal and the first black lesbian elected to the state House. Bell served three terms before she stepped down.
“The only reason Georgia would not pass a civil rights bill,” Bell said, “would be a lack of political courage.”
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, noted that Georgia is an outlier in terms of civil rights legislation.
“Georgia remains one of five states without statewide civil rights law,” Griffin said. “The goal is to look to the future and remind legislative leaders to reframe the debate to fighting discrimination against everyone.”
The issue that brought the advocates to the Capitol remains pending before the General Assembly.
House Bill 757 passed both chambers by considerable margins.
The House voted for the bill with a vote of 161 to 0. Nine representatives did not vote. Ten representatives were excused, according to the roll call vote.
The Senate voted for the bill with a vote of 38 to 14. One senator did not vote. Three senators were excused, according to the roll call vote.
The Senate also took a procedural step that prevents the bill it passed from being amended in any future discussions. The Senate Rules Committee presented a substitute version of the bill, which was approved.
The Legislature has taken no action on HB 757 since the Senate passed it on Feb. 19
Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality and Georgia Unites, said the language in the emails was based on sample templates provided in action alerts. Graham said many senders personalized their message.
Looking to the future, Graham said Georgia is an evolving component of the national discussion of civil rights. Graham said a growing number of Republicans are signing onto the concept, which has its deepest support among Democrats.
Recent polling of Georgians indicates growing support for civil rights legislation, Graham said.
“It’s not going to be overnight,” Graham said. “The battle is shifting now, not only with the state, but with the states in play in the south and west. This is new territory for us, as a movement. We have to give voice to the Republicans who stand with us.”
Graham said legislation introduced this year would protect the civil rights of state employees. In an arena where the number of co-sponsors carries significance, 17 co-signers are Republicans and 60 area Democrats, according to Graham.
“It is going to take faith-based organizations, and national organizations, working together,” Graham said. “We’ve worked in great harmony and unison.”
Bell noted the political groundwork that has to be done for civil rights legislation to win support among lawmakers.
“The level of work that needs to be done as the legislative level is hard work, and it’s grueling. “When you’re building a bench of LGBT people and allies, we have to continue to do that. No one person, and no one group, can do that.”
The advocates found hope in the veto Tuesday by South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard of legislation that intended to designate which bathrooms transgender students can use in public schools.
Griffin observed that the national campaign continues as efforts unfold in statehouses across the country. Griffin telegraphed support for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Griffin said advocates need to prevail upon Congress to approve legislation for the next president to sign into law.
As Griffin said, Congress needs to pass, “an equality act that she will sign once she’s in office.”
Today Georgia Unites is delivering 75,000 letters to Governor Nathan Deal from constituents opposing discriminatory religious exemptions bills like the First Amendment Defense Act.
This delivery is the culmination of months of grassroots campaigning to block legislation that promotes LGBT discrimination under the guise of protecting religious freedom.
Under FADA, for example, individuals and nonprofits—including adoption agencies, domestic violence centers, homeless shelters and even religiously affiliated hospitals—can claim the belief that marriage should be held between one man and one woman as an excuse to deny sometimes life-saving services to same-sex or unmarried couples.
Constituents submitted nearly 40,000 letters of dissent to FADA in the last week alone after the Senate hastily voted to advance the bill without allowing for amendments.
Our own Jeff Graham seizes on this opportunity to assert the need for non-discrimination protections for gay and transgender Georgians:
In the only broad survey of LGBT Georgians, 45% said that they had experienced some form or discrimination or harassment on the job and 48% reported that they had experienced discrimination while in a public establishment.
While the City of Atlanta has broad protections for many groups including the LGBT community, there are no state or federal laws that offer explicit protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It’s time to take steps to change that.
According to a recent Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey, a majority Georgians support LGBT non-discrimination laws—and reject legislation that would allow someone to refuse service to gay and transgender people on the basis of religion.
Here’s the break-down. Of the 6 in 10 Georgians who oppose discriminatory religious exemption:
And Georgians in support of comprehensive non-discrimination protections include:
Across political and religious demographics, public support for LGBT non-discrimination is at all-time highs. And now, for the first time, businesses are taking a fierce stand for LGBT rights in Georgia.
In the past week, major corporations and local indie companies alike have unleashed a hailstorm of criticism over the anti-LGBT First Amendment Defense Act.
Immediately after the Senate voted to advance the bill, a local tech company announced on Twitter that it would be relocating its headquarters from Georgia to Nevada as direct response to the passage of the discriminatory legislation.
Since then, Salesforce.com has taken a strong lead in the effort to beat back legislative attacks on LGBT Georgians. CEO Marc Benioff engaged in a Twitter war with Georgia Sen. Josh McKoon (lead sponsor of the infamous RFRA bill, which is still live this session), and has since had a FADA poll pinned to the top of his feed:
Should Salesforce move https://t.co/rlf9D7UkcF if @JoshMcKoon‘s anti gay bill 757 passes the Georgia legislator?
— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) February 26, 2016
In a recent Huffington Post interview, Benioff said the company will unleash a “thunderstorm of economic sanctions” on Georgia if FADA passes and calls for lawmakers to take steps to address LGBT equality in the state.
Other businesses are vocalizing their outrage at the legislature’s attempt to pass state-sanctioned discrimination, including Twitter, Virgin, and film industry insiders.
Brian Tolleson of Bark Bark entertainment has warned that any legislation that gives even the perception that discrimination is welcome in Georgia will have the immediate effect of driving the film industry from the state—and the $10 billion revenue stream it creates. In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he said:
The powers that be in the industry really want to defeat Georgia’s rise as entertainment destination. And we’re handing it to them on a silver platter.
Considering the Governor’s concerted investment of billions in public funding to create Georgia’s brand as the Hollywood of the south, taxpayers would bear the burden if the industry divests.
All told, 400+ major local and national businesses, hundreds of clergy, and a majority of Georgians stand united in opposition to anti-LGBT religious exemptions laws—and in firm support of non-discrimination protections.
It’s time for lawmakers to act in the best interests of the people they were elected to represent. To send a message to your lawmakers urging them to reject all religious exemptions bills like the First Amendment Defense Act and take steps to address LGBT non-discrimination needs in the state, click here.
CLICK HERE to read the original article on Atlanta Business Chronicle.
By Urvaksh Karkaria
Days after Salesforce chief Marc Benioff voiced his opposition to Georgia’s proposed “Religious Freedom” bill, the San Francisco-based software firm backed up its concerns with a letter to the state legislature.
Georgia lawmakers approved legislation that combined two bills: the “Pastor Protection Act,” which would assure clergy they would not have to perform same-sex marriages; and the “First Amendment Defense Act,” which would allow religious nonprofits to deny services to same-sex marriages.
“As one of Georgia’s fastest growing technology employers, Salesforce believes that HB 757 in its current form creates an environment of discrimination that is inconsistent with our values and I am writing to register our opposition to this bill,” according to the letter signed by Salesforce Senior Vice President Warren Wick. ” Without an open business environment that welcomes all residents and visitors, Salesforce will be unable to continue building on its tradition of innovation in Georgia.”
“Equality is a core value at Salesforce and ensuring that our employees feel welcome, valued, and safe is a top priority,” the letter continued. “We encourage you to take decisive action to avoid this kind of damage and reaffirm that our state will not tolerate discrimination against people because of who they are or who they love.”
The letter comes days after Salesforce CEO Benioff expressed his opposition to Georgia’s proposed legislation on a conference call with analysts.
“We’re looking squarely at what’s going on in Georgia with House Bill 757, which means that we may have to reduce our investments in the state of Georgia based on what we’re seeing with the state government there…,” Benioff said. “And I hope that they see the light the way that the state of Indiana did.”
Scaling back in a corporate hub such as Atlanta could be damaging to the company and the city.
Atlanta is the among Salesforce’s top 5 employment hubs in the United States. Last year the software company expanded its “regional hub” in Buckhead — adding about 300 jobs — following its acquisition of ExactTarget for $2.5 billion. In late 2013, ExactTarget acquired Pardot, an Atlanta marketing automation startup for $95 million.
Benioff joins several Georgia businesses, including AT&T (NYSE: T), Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: CCE), The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD), SunTrust Banks Inc. (NYSE: STI) and United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS), who oppose. The Metro Atlanta Chamber sent a letter to all 56 state senators informing them it had signed a pledge to oppose the bill put together by Georgia Prospers, a coalition headed by former Georgia Senate GOP leader Ronnie Chance.
CLICK HERE to read the original article on Metro Weekly.
By John Riley
An alliance of pro-LGBT organizations submitted more than 75,000 email petitions to Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R), asking him to veto a religious freedom bill making its way through the legislature.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Lambda Legal, Georgia Equality and Georgia Unites Against Discrimination held a conference call with reporters calling upon Deal to show “true leadership” by vetoing the measure. Chad Griffin, the president of HRC, held up the example of South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would have prohibited transgender students in all schools from using the bathroom consistent with their gender identity.
“Over the past few months, we’ve seen some legislators here in Georgia and organizations push for legislation that would open the door to discrimination against gay and transgender Georgians, unmarried couples, single parents and women,” said Jeff Graham, the executive director of Georgia Equality and Georgia Unites Against Discrimination. “Legal experts from across the political spectrum have confirmed that the dangers of these bills are very real.”
In total, Georgia lawmakers have introduced nine bills taking aim at the LGBT community, including HB757, an amended version of a “religious freedom” bill that would allow an individual or a business owner to cite a “sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction” as justification for refusing service to LGBT people, same-sex couples or anybody who engages in extramarital relations, for example. The bill also prohibits the government from taking retaliatory action against a person who decides to discriminate based on their personal religious beliefs.
As part of their efforts to try and convince Deal and other Georgia lawmakers to stop the bill, Georgia Unites Against Discrimination has been organizing more than 300 clergy members to speak out against the bill, arguing that its religious exemptions go too far and do not reflect the opinion of the broader faith community. Additionally, more than 400 businesses have spoken against the bill in an attempt to persuade lawmakers that legislation that could be perceived as targeting the LGBT community could have negative ramifications for the Peach State’s economy, particularly if companies choose to move away from or decide not to relocate to Georgia.
Besides those arguments, and the more than 75,000 emails submitted to Deal’s office earlier today, LGBT advocates are also pointing to data collected by the Public Religion Research Institute showing that a majority of Georgians — and most sub-groups, except white evangelical protestants — oppose allowing businesses the right to refuse service to gay or lesbian people, even if the business owner claims doing so would violate his or her religious beliefs. Overall, 57 percent of Georgians oppose such broad religious exemptions, while only 37 support them.
That same survey by the Public Religion Research Institute shows that nearly two-thirds of Georgians — 66 percent — support legislation that would affirm and extend statewide protections in employment, housing and public accommodations to the LGBT community. With that in mind, Simone Bell, Southern Regional Director for Lambda Legal, called on lawmakers to pass a comprehensive civil rights law that would extend such protections to the LGBT community. So far, the Republican-dominated legislature has either killed or bottled up in committee, measures that are viewed as LGBT-friendly.
“The only reasons why Georgia would not pass a civil rights bill that includes those protections would be a lack of political will and courage, and a refusal to stand on the right side of history,” Bell said. “Georgia, the world is watching.”
CLICK HERE to read the original article on AJC.
By Aaron Gould Sheinin
The list of companies lined up opposed to “religious liberty” legislation in Georgia now includes a big bird.
Twitter, the social network platform favored by politicos and journalists the world wide, has signed on to Georgia Prospers, the coalition of companies organized to advocate for openness and inclusion for all.
The move comes as Gov. Nathan Deal and House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, have formed an alliance against religious liberty bills that many believe would allow for discrimination against Georgia’s LGBT community.
Twitter’s decision to join Georgia Prospers also follows hints from some businesses that they would abandon Georgia if House Bill 757 becomes law.
Mr. Francys Johnson is a lifelong Georgian—and for him, the fight against the codification of discrimination in his home state traces back to his childhood.
He’s now a practicing lawyer, minister, and the president of the Georgia NAACP – the state’s oldest and largest civil rights organization – but Mr. Johnson was once a young boy sitting in a special education classroom in a Georgia public school.
He was one of many who were caught in a discriminatory education system where students—primarily students of color or economically disadvantaged students—were forced to take special education classes, not based on assessment, but in order to increase funding to the school. “Teachers and administrators looked at me, at the color of my skin, and said I couldn’t succeed in a basic classroom,” Mr. Johnson recalled.
Ultimately, the NAACP took up Mr. Johnson’s case, and he won the right to participate in advanced learning classes.
“I remember the day when public officials came to my classroom,” Mr. Johnson said. “I was in the third grade and they walked me from the special ed classroom to the gifted classroom. That’s when I saw the power of what people can do when they come together around shared values – and the impact it can have on an individual’s life and the collective whole of the community.”
For Mr. Johnson, these shared values – justice, equality, and opportunity – are rooted in the founding ideals of this country: That all people are created equal with the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
He sees these values as the bedrock of all major movements to drive out discrimination: the women’s suffrage movement of the 1920s, the civil rights movement of the 1960s—and now, the movement to outlaw discrimination against gay and transgender Georgians and Americans.
Mr. Johnson sees these movements as inextricably linked. “Dr. King sums it up best in his statement that ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’” he said.
“I can’t work in a silo to fight racism without understanding that there’s a common root: discrimination. In order for me to work to end racism, I have to work to end discrimination against same-gender loving individuals as well.”
Mr. Johnson was pleased to see the Supreme Court bring the freedom to marry to same-sex couples in Georgia last June – but he knows the work is far from done: “As a practicing attorney who meets with clients every day, I am keenly aware that discrimination is still alive in Georgia.”
Right now in Georgia, there are absolutely no explicit statewide laws barring discrimination. That means gay and transgender Georgians can be fired, denied housing or refused service just because of who they are or whom they love.
Mr. Johnson finds strength to fight in his faith and, specifically, in the guiding principle of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
“The fact that we are human beings who come from the same love, same grace, same mercies means each of us possess an inherent worth and dignity – just as human beings. Nothing else needs to be added to that,” Johnson said. “I cannot want for myself something that I would deny to someone else.”
At the end of the day, Mr. Johnson views the movement for LGBT non-discrimination as one rooted in love. He believes everyone deserves to love and be loved, to create a family, to find housing and employment to provide for themselves and their loved ones, and to “live freely in their truth.”
As such, his commitment to advancing LGBT rights is as much rooted in his faith as it is his legal training and his personal experiences overcoming discrimination.
“At the heart of all of God’s institution is the family. And God chose to describe himself as love. And so I have no problem at all squaring my faith with the decision to stand on the side of love with all of God’s creation.”
Francys Johnson has lived and worked and preached and taught in Georgia for all of his life. He has dedicated his life’s work to weeding out the seeds of discrimination from his home state and he says he will use whatever energy he has with what time he has remaining to continue to fight discrimination on behalf of the LGBT community.
Now, he urges lawmakers to stand for age-old American values of justice, equality and opportunity for all, and to denounce legislation that promotes discrimination in the state of Georgia.
CLICK HERE to read the original article on Georgia Tipsheet.
Opportunity.US, a young conservative group led by the grandson of former Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., came out Monday in opposition to Georgia’s First Amendment Defense Act, a controversial religious liberty proposal that critics argue would facilitate discrimination against gays and lesbians.
“Young professionals today demand that political leaders embrace policies ensuring our competitiveness and equality of opportunity,” Beau Allen, Opportunity.US co-founder, said in a statement provided to Tipsheet. “Opportunity.US stands with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and like-minded groups who fiercely oppose the proposed First Amendment Defense Act, a discriminatory bill which threatens the progress our great City and State has made in the past decades.
“The next generation of our nation’s leaders believe in an inclusive society creating economic and political opportunity for all.”
Opportunity.US, a social welfare outgrowth of the Republican super PAC Concord 51, has previously played in Georgia, endorsing U.S. Senator David Perdue and Georgia state Sen. Hunter Hill.
CLICK HERE to read the original article on Georgia Pol.
By Jon Richards
During a break in the Crossover Day action, House Speaker David Ralston was asked about Governor Nathan Deals statement today that legislators should be able to come to a resolution on religious liberty that would preserve the rights of people of faith without discrimination. The Speaker responded,
I’ve been trying to to do that for two years here, and there’s a lot of misinformation out there. One thing I found out this weekend from talking to people, even in my district is that people, they care about our image as a state. That was one of the things that I think informed the concerns of many people about bringing casinos into Georgia, and I think the same things informed them about that issue.
House Bill 757 was greatly modified in the Senate, when it added most of the language from Senator Greg Kirk’s First Amendment Defense Act to Kevin Tanner’s Pastor Protection Act. After the modified bill was sent back to the house, opposition to the combined measures from businesses including Microsoft and Salesforce.com grew louder. When asked about what legislators were doing to come up with a solution, the Speaker said,
We’re working hard on that issue. I respect that it’s a very intense issue on both sides. I try to respect that. I think it’s very unfortunate that it’s become so politicized, and with so much misinformation out there. I hope that once we get past today, we’ve still got about three calendar weeks that I hope that we can get some calm heads around the table and people that don’t have a political agenda in this to work out something that we can feel good about as a state because I think that’s very important.
Along with other options, the House can amend the bill and send it to the Senate, which would have to accept or reject it without amendment, or it can disagree with the Senate amendment, and return the bill to the Senate, likely resulting in a conference committee being named.
@GeorgiaUnitesWe were so grateful to be able to profile Rachel last year. Her story is inspiring and it's sad to see her treated unfairly. Thank you Rachel for standing up for yourself! bit.ly/2VTK7j3