by abryant

Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Wrap-up

In 2019, the Southern AIDS Coalition, a nonprofit organization that aims to end the HIV and STI epidemics in the South by promoting accessible and high-quality systems of [HIV and STI] prevention, treatment, care, housing, and essential support services, along with its many partners, Georgia Equality included, introduced the first Southern HIV & AIDS Awareness Day on August 20, 2019. In 2020, the Center for Disease Control recognized SHAAD as a National Awareness Day.

Why the South? Georgia Equality’s Ending the Epidemic Fellow, Taylor Brown, explains in his recent article published in Project Q: “Georgia had the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses and the fourth highest total number of diagnoses in the United States in 2019, according to the CDC’s most recent HIV Surveillance Report. That same year, the Georgia Department of Public Health cited 2,504 newly diagnosed individuals, bringing the total number of Georgians living with HIV to 56,000.”

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by abryant

Voting and Georgia’s New Policies

It’s time to vote again! Although there are no statewide elections this year, there are still  municipal positions to be filled this November. Voter registration is taking place in various parts of the county, but there are some noticeable and controversial changes to the process.

If you want to vote absentee but have not requested your absentee ballot yet, it may be too late.  Georgia’s new law requires all requests for absentee ballots to be provided only as far out as three months.  NO government entity will mail you a ballot unless YOU request one.  And make sure you have enough time to mail the ballot in.  There will be a reduced number of district voting ballot-boxes available.

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by abryant

Fulton County Library Renamed after Civil Rights Pioneer

Fulton County’s first openly LGBTQ commissioner, an advocate for LGBTQ rights, and a fighter in the movement to end HIV/AIDS; Joan Garner was it. As a leader in her community, Garner laid a path for younger activists, and a new level of civic engagement to come. 

On August 30, 2021, the Ponce de Leon library in Atlanta, GA was renamed the Joan P. Garner Library, honoring the legacy of someone whose dedication to equality and civil rights led her community towards growth and tangible change.  

Charles Stephens, founder and Executive Director of The Counter Narrative Project, a nonprofit working to “…shift narratives about Black gay men to change policy and improve lives.”, wanted the library and its renaming to “…serve as a space to commemorate the legacy of Joan Garner and also serve as a reminder of the example she set. An example of service. An example of leadership. An example of commitment. An example of grace. I also hope this library will serve as a love letter to the Black LGBTQ community…”.  

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by abryant

Georgia in Need: Nondiscrimination Ordinances Explained 

Georgia has no state laws that prevent private employers from discriminating based on an employee’s race or religion. Georgia has no law preventing landowners from refusing rent or sale to our citizens based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Currently, the only path for someone to resolve an issue of discrimination is to file a costly and time-consuming nondiscrimination federal lawsuit. But passing a comprehensive state law that offers protections for all citizens has proven to be quite tricky. Still, many cities across the state are adopting nondiscrimination ordinances (NDO) to help close some gaps between federal and state laws. 

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by abryant

Georgia Equality Celebrates Appointment of Youth HIV Policy Advisor

On August 4, 2021, Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Rachel Levine, swore in eight new members to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA), one of the newest members being Kayla Quimbley, a Georgia Equality Youth HIV Policy Advisor and youth HIV advocate.

According to www.hiv.gov, “The PACHA provides advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding programs, policies, and research to promote effective prevention, treatment, and cure of HIV disease and AIDS. This includes recommendations to the Secretary regarding the development and implementation of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative and the HIV National Strategic Plan.”

Quimbley, as a Youth HIV Policy Advisor, is trained on policy and advocacy while being equipped with the resources needed to educate state, city, and county-level policymakers around the creation of meaningful HIV- related laws and strategy.

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