Georgia Equality joined a coalition of more than 150 state, local and national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) organizations in calling on Congress to swiftly pass the Equality Act. And now we need you to do the same!

HR 5, the bipartisan Equality Act, has 217 co-sponsors including 6 members of Georgia’s Congressional delegation Reps. David Scott, Hank Johnson, Sanford Bishop, Lucy McBath and both of Georgia’s newest House members; Rep. Nikema Williams and Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux.   

The re-introduction of the Equality Act is a clear example of real progress toward full LGBTQ equality in Georgia. When this bill was introduced in the previous Congress, it had the support of 5 Representatives from Georgia, and now that number is 6 Representatives and 2 Senators. This law would be a significant step forward for the LGBTQ community, and we are committed to mobilizing our communities in Georgia to make sure our lawmakers know this is about people, not politics.

This landmark nondiscrimination and civil rights bill would update existing federal laws to protect people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. It has broad and deep support across lines of political party, demographics, and geography. with a majority of people in favor of the bill in every state in the country.

The passage of this bill will be the culmination of years of work to register and turn out the pro-equality vote, and of numerous meetings with congressional offices. The fact that now half of Georgia’s congressional delegation supports the Equality Act is a credit to all of us who have been instrumental in shifting the ground to make passage of this bill possible.

And now we are in a position to pass a law that would ensure that all LGBTQ Americans can live, work, and access public spaces free from discrimination, no matter what state they call home. So send your message to Congress right now!

Today, half of LGBTQ people in the US live in the 29 states that still lack comprehensive statewide laws — including Georgians. From our work around the state, we know firsthand that this patchwork of protections is unsustainable and leaves too many people behind.

As we commemorate Black History Month, Georgia Equality honors the contributions of Black Americans to the LGBTQ+ and civil rights movement. We also uplift the names of Black LGBTQ+ pioneers that have contributed to our nation’s greatness.

We are grateful and in debt to those who have come before us, those who have  torn down down barriers, creating the space for us to do this work today. In honoring our heroes from the past, Georgia Equality stands hand in hand with activist and the black community as whole, today, ready and prepared for the work ahead.

Georgia Equality is committed to advancing fairness, safety, and opportunity for Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, and our Black allies throughout the state.

This month, and every month of the year, Georgia Equality celebrates Black voices, and Black achievement, standing allied in the fight against racism and the systemic structures that negatively impact the well-being and livelihood of the Black community.

To celebrate Black lives, progression, and excellence, Georgia Equality will be hosting a series of virtual events sure to be engaging, informative, and thought provoking. Please follow us on all social media platforms, @georgiaequality, and subscribe to our email list to stay informed on Legislative updates, Action Alerts, Breaking news, Event invitations, Opportunities to get involved.

 

 

DeMarcus Beckham, Southern Field Organizer

Georgia Equality | Equality Foundation of Georgia

 

 

Georgia has some of the harshest HIV criminalization in the US – and Georgia Equality wants to address that head on by introducing our new fellowship program, Ending the Epidemic Policy Fellowship, funded by the Elton John Aids Foundation. 

The former President’s plan to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 is built around four pillars: Diagnose, Treat, Protect, and Respond. The fourth pillar, focuses on establishing an HIV health force with “boots on the ground” health professionals. While this is an important element, equally as important is the need to develop HIV policy advocates and leaders who are equipped to identify emergent issues and bring them to the attention of policymakers, create policy solutions that help remedy structural issues that drive the epidemic in marginalized communities, and to find political allies and policy making windows that make it possible to advance public health. 

For the “boots on the ground”, Georgia Equality is looking to hire three recent graduates for its Ending the Epidemic Policy Fellowship. The fellowship places recent graduates with backgrounds in public health, public administration, public policy, and/or other related fields at Georgia Equality for a 12-month immersion into the policy-making process. Fellows apply their academic training, critical thinking, and analytical skills to support evidence-informed, decision-making that addresses HIV policy challenges on a local and statewide level. Fellows should have an understanding of the systemic structures that create barriers for marginalized communities and warp our response to the HIV epidemic, especially along lines of race, gender, and sexual orientation. 

Georgia Equality’s Ending the Epidemic Policy Fellowship Program provides comprehensive policy training at the intersections of LGBTQ health, race, policy and geography to early-career professionals with an interest in working in the HIV policy space. The project will specifically prioritize individuals living with and vulnerable to HIV from minority and underrepresented communities who are committed to acquiring the skills, knowledge and experiences to participate in the policy process at the state and local level and use their training to improve health, health care, and health policy towards ending the epidemic by 2030. 

 

For more information or to apply, please visit our employment page, here:

https://georgiaequality.org/about/employment-internships/

Georgia Equality has spent the last year cultivating meaningful online advocacy opportunities that have had real impact. We are so proud of what we accomplished not only in the General and Run-off Elections, but also in the wrap up of the 2020 legislative session this June when we passed LGBTQ-inclusive Hate Crimes Legislation. We are one of the few organizations that have already hosted a digital advocacy day with our partners at Cover Georgia and we are ready to take our advocacy to the next level.

Already we have seen unprecedented attacks on our voting laws and harmful anti-trans legislation, and we are only on day 12 of the legislative session. It is more important than ever to stay engaged and continue to make our voices heard. In the coming weeks, Georgia Equality will be reaching out through social media, grassroots letters to the editor campaigns, phone and text banks, not to mention webinars and trainings. Please look at the schedule below and join the movement today. It will take all of us to stop the regressive forces that want to punish marginalized communities for daring to speak up and show out. But together, we can and will overcome.

 

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Training Schedule

 

Feb 6, 2021 – HIV Advocacy: https://secure.everyaction.com/DgLx-yvuqUeFGUwcT-AMFw2

Feb 9, 2021 – Digital Advocacy Outreach: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItdumhqDsvHdap9bewODSHD335Gh03LMgR

Feb 16, 2021 – Letters to the Editor Workshop: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpcuGgpz4qH9ySGE80vcYiG4mqm0jAQafP

Feb 20, 2021 – Transgender Advocacy: https://secure.everyaction.com/OoKgu_y-ckWZy-YKBwN8DA2

March 6, 2021 – Federal Issues Advocacy: https://secure.everyaction.com/O6bfP5ezSkaCdbiobXvfAA2

March 20, 2021 – Local Issues Advocacy: https://secure.everyaction.com/4b_9otaLyEuwqrqzo7Ub9w2