Augusta, GA, November 16, 2021 — Today, by a unanimous vote, the Board of Commissioners in Augusta, Georgia passed a nondiscrimination ordiance that provides needed protections to LGBTQ folks and other marginalized groups. This makes Augusta Georgia’s 14th city, and second county (after Athens-Clarke earlier this year) to provide such protections.
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The Board of Directors of Georgia Equality, the state’s largest political advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Georgians and our allies, is proud to announce its endorsement in the upcoming runoff Election for Atlanta City Council President — Doug Shipman.
“Doug’s clear understanding of the crisis facing the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program and the role city council must play in the oversight of the program was a deciding factor in our decision to endorse at this time,” said Kenyatta Mitchell, Chairperson of Georgia Equality’s Board of Directors.
City of Atlanta
City Council President
Doug Shipman
“I have shown that I willl bring deep knowledge and commitment to my role futhering and consistently including LGBTQ+ people and issues across the entire spectrum of my work. My record includes the inclusion of LGBTQ+ stories and programs from the very beginning of building the National Center for Civil and Human Rights to founding the LGBTQ+ Institute at NCCHR to my work to support and diversify LGBTQ+ artists and arts at the Woodruff Arts Center and beyond to my family’s longtime support of HRC, GA Equality and HIV/AIDS-related organizations and initiatives. “
The LGBTQ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights has partnered with Emory University and is conducting an anonymous, volunteer research study of LGBTQ people in the South. Dozens of community and grassroots organizations and individuals are helping spread the word. Georgia Equality one of them. And I hope you’ll join us.
Becoming a partner includes helping promote the survey on your social media platforms (the LGBTQ Institute will provide you tools you can use).
It’s that time of year again – open enrollment is back! From now until Dec. 15th, you can find health insurance that fits your needs and your budget for 2022. Millions now have health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including many LGBTQ+folx. 4 out of 5 HealthCare.gov customers found a plan for less than $10/month. You may even Qualify for a free plan! Even if you’ve looked before, it’s time to check out your options and find the plan that’s right for you.
Visit www.healthcare.gov to learn more about your options now!
Our LGBTQ+ family still has access to financial help for health insurance and should be treated with respect thanks to the ACA’s nondiscrimination protections. Our community is still protected from discrimination in health insurance, at the hospital or clinic, and with our doctors. You should never be disrespected simply for being who you are.
Every World AIDS Day, December 1st, carries two themes of focus. One global theme, one domestic theme. This year’s global theme is: “End Inequalities. End AIDS. End Pandemics.” This year’s domestic theme is: “Ending the HIV Epidemic: Equitable Access, Everyone’s Voice.”
In commemoration of World AIDS Day, Georgia Equality, its Fellows and Youth HIV Policy Advisors will be hosting a summit for elected officials across the state of Georgia pertaining to the state’s current issues with the HIV epidemic. The issues to be shared with state-spanning officials during the summit, “The Summit on HIV Policy in the Rural South,” are Georgia-specific issues aligned with “Equitable Access, Everyone’s Voice.”