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We’ve seen a major new development in Georgia’s quest to land Amazon’s second headquarters: Atlanta has been named to a list of the company’s top-20 finalists.
However, among the many requirements Amazon has regarding its new location is a commitment to diversity and inclusion, a topic that Georgia has not traditionally led on, particularly in the last couple of years regarding the LGBTQ community. Now, as we’re hearing rumors that a an anti-LGBT “License to Discriminate” could be introduced during the 2018 session, it’s important to look back at the economic headaches these fights have cost us in years past.
The multi-billion dollar retailer announced plans to open a second headquarters, known informally as HQ2, outside of their main campus in Seattle, Washington, on September 7 of last year. Since then, cities and states across the country have been frenzied in pitching themselves to the company as a prime option for real estate, investment, and workforce.
Wherever HQ2 ends up, economies at the city and state level will experience a significant boon. Amazon’s initial investment could total as much as $5 billion, with tax credits nearing $850 million and the creation of more than 50,000 new jobs.
In 2016, legislators in Georgia presented HB 757, known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which supporters claimed would have protected the sincerely held religious beliefs of business owners by allowing them to deny services to LGBTQ people and offering no recourse for those discriminated against.
Opponents called the legislation what is was: state sanctioned anti-LGBTQ discrimination that would adversely affect Georgia’s economy. Despite heavy protest from the LGBTQ community and the larger Georgia business community, the bill passed through the General Assembly and went to Governor Nathan Deal’s desk for signature.
However, defying the legislature, Deal vetoed the bill, saying, “I have yet to see a factual justification for it in the state of Georgia. I do not know of a single instance where having a statute of that type would have changed the circumstances in any situation in our state.”
Governor Deal, in his veto, likely looked at the consequences faced earlier by states who had passed anti-LGBTQ legislation to the tune of public outcry and severe economic consequences. Indiana pushed through the bill that was the model for Georgia’s, signed at the time by then-Governor Mike Pence. When major conventions and investments began to pull resources from the state, and official government travel to Indiana was suspended by dozens of cities and states nationwide, the Indiana legislature repealed the law.
However, the most significant case of harms caused by discriminating against the LGBTQ community came in the form of HB2 in North Carolina. Although the bill did not deal with religious discrimination, it did explicitly seek to bar transgender individuals from using public accommodations that match the gender they know themselves to be, and it was described as one of the most anti-LGBTQ pieces of legislation to ever be put into law.
Backlash was immediate; entertainers pulled their concerts and events from the state, major companies like PayPal and Deutsche Bank canceled plans for expansion, and sports organizations such as the NCAA and the NBA withdrew their agreements to host tournaments and games in the state. All in all, North Carolina lost upwards of $600 million in economic investment and growth, not to mention thousands of jobs and its reputation. The outcry even led to the ouster of Governor Pat McCrory, who lost his bid for re-election last year.
We already know the economic consequences that Georgia faces without comprehensive non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. In January 2017, UCLA’s Williams Institute released a report detailing how, “stigma and discrimination have been linked to negative economic impacts.” According to the report:
On November 3, Governor Deal hosted an event where he unveiled that Georgia once again was declared the No. 1 state for business, based largely on its tourism dollars, with industry revenue in the last year near $3.1 billion and employment at 450,000 workers.
The state has successes to be proud of, and by passing comprehensive non-discrimination protections, we will continue to improve our standing as a great place to live and work. The selection of HQ2’s location is another “Olympic moment” for Georgia, and to attract the best in business, we must unequivocally state that we are open for business to everyone.
Do you believe in nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people? Click here to sign our pledge!
A long-awaited bill — HB 159 — that would update Georgia’s adoption and foster case system is finally headed for passage. However, adoptive families and advocates, including families like the Wurzs, are still worried that lawmakers could pass a stand-alone License to Discriminate that targets Georgia’s adoption and foster care system.
Read their open letter to lawmakers below, then email your lawmakers and urge them to stay away from anti-LGBT bills.
Our children are the very heart of our family, and we have been blessed to see them thrive and grow. The opportunity we have had to welcome our adopted children into our home is something we’ve never taken for granted.
Last year, a bill that would modernize Georgia’s adoption and foster care system was a high priority for our legislature. It failed in the last moments of the session when amendments were attached that would have allowed state-funded adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBT couples like us when deciding where to place a child.
That can’t happen again. Thousands of children just like ours are currently in Georgia’s adoption and foster care system, and for legislators to politicize their lives is unacceptable. No child should be denied the right to a loving and supportive home because a few lawmakers want to discriminate against families like ours.
Legislators have repeatedly said this bill is a top priority, and it’s clear lawmakers are serious about that, since this bill has been fast-tracked, and so far without anti-LGBT language.
Please, pass a clean adoption bill as soon as possible, and stay away from bills that discriminate against families like ours.
We thank you, and our children thank you.
Sincerely,
Beth & Krista Wurz
Late Wednesday afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed critical updates to Georgia’s adoption and foster care system, without adding any amendments that would discriminate against LGBT Georgians. The bill sailed through the committee on an 8-2 vote, and could be heard by the full Senate as soon as this Friday.
Tackling child welfare is the most important issue before legislators this session. However, in order for the bill to pass, it must be a “clean” bill, meaning there is no discriminatory language included within.
Last year, Georgia legislators attempted several times to get an adoption bill through to the Governor’s desk. However, the process was held up when some lawmakers placed anti-LGBTQ amendments in the bill that would allow agencies (even those receiving state funding) to discriminate against LGBTQ people when it came to adoption and foster care.
In addition to the thousands of Georgians who spoke out and contacted their representatives, leading national child welfare agencies penned a letter to the legislature emphasizing how harmful it would be to “[exclude] any class of potentially qualified parents,” from the pool of loving families, including LGBTQ families.
After hearing hours of testimony, and failing to remove the discriminatory language, the adoption bill failed to go to the floor for a vote in the House in the last minutes of the 2017 session. The bill remains active in the State Senate.
Now, in 2018, legislators have another chance to pass real, meaningful legislation that will have a positive impact on the 12,000 children in Georgia’s adoption and foster care system. Governor Nathan Deal has pushed for legislators to bring a clean bill to his desk as soon as possible within the new year.
Most lawmakers are on board with this plan too, including Speaker David Ralston and Representative Clay Pirkle of Ashburn, who recently stated:
“You just don’t want to inject politics into issues that are as important as a forever family for a kid. I understand the passions for the change, but we must look after those who are absolutely underserved in the state, and those kids are.”
Refusal to pass a clean bill could also have an unintended effect on the state’s economy; Georgia is among the many states competing for Amazon’s second world headquarters, known informally as HQ2. As a company, Amazon has stated that they value diversity, inclusion, and fairness, and they want to settle in a location that supports and upholds those values. By attempting to leave or inject anti-LGBTQ language into an adoption bill, Georgia could lose the bid for Amazon, whose initial investment in their eventual location is estimated at around $5 billion.
Georgia Unites Against Discrimination urges state legislators to do right by Georgia’s children, and pass a bill that will both modernize the state’s adoption system, and allow all families the opportunity to welcome a child into their home.
To contact your legislator and tell them to make adoption a key priority this legislative session, click here.
For parents with more than one child, maintaining a semblance of order and stability can sometimes be easier said than done. As a stay-at-home mother of three (including twins) in Johns Creek, Georgia, Amanda Dewis has more than enough to keep her busy every day. However, in Amanda’s case, she’s not only dealing with the usual issues between parents and children — she’s also working hard to make a safe and loving space for her daughter Lea, who is transgender.
Amanda says that when Lea began to grow into a toddler, she began to notice behaviors she wasn’t sure she understood.
“She was never attracted to ‘boy toys,’ or things I heard that were typical boy things,” she says. “Her dad was sort of absent, so I thought maybe it had something to do with her not having a strong male role model.”
“As the mother of a transgender child, what I want to do is change minds.”
Lea was diagnosed at the age of 3 with Autism Spectrum Disorder, which also muddied the waters for Amanda. As she continued to grow, Lea further exhibited behaviors that confused her mother, such as wanting to wear dresses and immediately taking off her ‘boy clothes’ when she would come home from being out. When Lea turned 5, Amanda looked to her developmental pediatrician for guidance.
“I asked if this was typical, and he said ‘Well, who you are is who you are, and you’re born that way.’ He explained it as a spectrum in terms of gender. It was the first time I ever heard the word transgender. I didn’t understand initially — I thought it was about sexuality; I didn’t realize until then the difference between orientation and identity.”
At this point, Amanda says she began to dig deep and to have some difficult conversations with Lea, to truly understand where she was coming from.
“I asked her, ‘Even though your body is a boy, do you think your brain is a girl brain?’ And she said, ‘Yes, Mommy, and when I go to heaven, God is going to make me a girl.’ I told her she was made perfectly by God, but that I wanted her to be comfortable with who she was.”
“I want her to know she never has to be anybody except who she is.”
Following this conversation, Amanda made an appointment with a gender specialist and asked directly if her child was transgender.
“She responded, ‘It’s very clear she [Lea] wants to live her life as a girl, and if that’s what she wants to do, it’s what she should do to be her authentic self.’ For me, these questions started coming up: Is she too young? Does she understand? But then the gender specialist said to me, ‘When did you know you were a girl?’ I said I always knew — it was never a question. And at that moment, I got it.”
Following this revelation, Amanda became determined to support her child in every way and create a nurturing space for her where she could be herself without fear or reservation.
“I want her to know she never has to be anybody except who she is. She is 100% who she was made to be, and she is loved and supported and encouraged by me and her sisters unconditionally. It’s important for me to let her know that I believe her, and I’m not just placating her.”
Amanda and Lea agreed to set a date to begin her transition, the final day of first grade.
“At the end of first grade, we decided it was all Lea, all the time. A full social transition. She has blossomed, and the behaviors she had going on prior are gone. She was stressed internally and it was manifesting. There’s a saying, ‘follow the fruit of the spirit’ — when I let her be who she wants to be, the fruit is beautiful and wonderful and blossoms. When you embrace good things and look for the good, good will follow.”
“It infuriates me to know there are no protections, and it breaks my heart.”
Amanda understands that there may often be some fear and apprehension when transition occurs because as a parent, you always want your child to be safe and protected. However, Amanda has learned to view things through a different prism.
“All parents are afraid — you’re going to be afraid when they’re born, when they walk out the door. Most fears are legitimate. But this is one thing I am no longer afraid of. I’ll be afraid when she gets behind the wheel of a car, or when she gets her heart broken for the first time. But as long as I can have this space for her, I think she will be able to flourish, and so far, we’ve been really fortunate.”
Unfortunately, Amanda and her children live in a state where currently there are no protections for transgender people in housing, employment, or public accommodations. Continually, so-called religious freedom legislation has been introduced in Georgia, which would allow businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people by claiming a religious exemption. However, there is some hope— currently three bills sit in the Georgia legislature that would create inclusive non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people, and with Amazon eyeing Atlanta as a possible location for its second world headquarters, it is hoped that the state will work to match Amazon’s company values of inclusion, fairness, and diversity. Still, without protections in place, Lea could very well face the reality of being denied service at a restaurant or hospital, or be refused housing or a job simply because she is transgender. This certainly does not sit well at all with her mother.
“It infuriates me to know there are no protections, and it breaks my heart. The other part I struggle with as a mom is not only is she transgender, she has special needs. I feel the same way about all people who are marginalized or ostracized and might not have equal access to things. I understand disability and gender identity are not the same, but this is how you were born. It doesn’t make sense, it’s demoralizing, it’s exclusionary, and it’s wrong. Until you’ve walked in the shoes of someone like that, you don’t understand how demeaning it is. I don’t understand how people can pass laws because they don’t like who people are or how they present themselves.”
For her part, Amanda sees her family’s journey as the opportunity to educate others, and to stand for the values of transgender people everywhere.
“As the mother of a transgender child, what I want to do is change minds. I think when you make an intersection in your life with a gay or trans person, when you sit and talk with them, it changes your perspective and it changes your life. I want trans people to know: God made you exactly as you are. Every single aspect of you. You are who you are supposed to be, and anyone telling you otherwise is just wrong.”
With the Georgia legislative session starting today, we are hopeful that a series of bills that will bring us closer to fully protecting LGBT people from discrimination will advance as legislators begin their work.
Our top priority this year is advancing a “clean” adoption bill through the legislature. Last year, several lawmakers sought to discriminate against LGBT people by adding an amendment to HB 159, a bill that included much-needed reforms to Georgia’s adoption and foster care system, that would allow adoption agencies (including those receiving state funding) to blatantly discriminate against LGBT people. This would come at the cost of children desperately seeking new homes and a family to love them. It is our hope that legislators will do the right thing by excluding such discriminatory language and will pass a bill that makes adoption easier for all Georgians.
Another priority is passing statewide comprehensive non-discrimination laws for LGBT people. Currently, three bills sit in the legislature, the first of their kind to ever be introduced in Georgia. House Bill 488 would enact a comprehensive, LGBT-inclusive civil rights law, while House Resolution 404 would create a committee to study the effects of LGBT discrimination, and why it is imperative that the state work to prevent it from happening. Most prominent among the bills is Senate Bill 119, which would enact the same protections as HB 488.
Senator Lester Jackson — SB 119’s sponsor — has been an early and vocal supporter of adding these protections to state law, and we’ll be pushing hard for the Senate to give him the committee hearing that he and SB 119 deserve.
Furthermore, it is also expected that there will be serious movement on a hate crimes bill, largely being spearheaded by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Georgia Unites is hopeful that the bill will turn out well and succeed.
It is time for all LGBT Georgians to receive the same rights and protections as every other citizen of The Peach State. Click here to contact your lawmakers and tell them to make non-discrimination a top priority in this year’s session! Also be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and if you haven’t yet, please sign our pledge saying you will stand up for LGBT Georgians and their right to protections under the law.
@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