by Wes Sanders

The election results are in (mostly)!!

ELECTION UPDATE

We had a good night following yesterday’s primary and nonpartisan election. Nearly 75% of Georgia Equality’s endorsed candidates either won their races or are headed to a runoff election!

One exciting highlight from the election is that we may be welcoming a new openly LGBTQ state senator next year because GE endorsed candidate RaShaun Kemp will be advancing to the runoff for the Democratic nomination in Senate District 38! Help him start the next phase of his campaign strong with a donation today.

And there’s more: multiple openly LGBTQ incumbents won their races last night: Sen. Kim Jackson in SD 41, Rep. Park Cannon in HD 58, Rep. Karla Drenner in HD 85, Rep. Imani Barnes in HD 86, Rep. Marvin Lim in HD 98, Rep. Sam Park in HD 107, and two state court judges– Judge Mike Jacobs of DeKalb County State Court and Judge Jane Morrison of Fulton County State court.

Georgia Equality sends congratulations to all of our endorsed candidates who won on Tuesday, or are advancing to a runoff. The runoff election will be held on June 18, 2024.

 

Here’s the full list of Georgia Equality endorsees who were successful on Tuesday

 

Judicial Races

Judge, Superior Court, Fulton County: Rachel Krause (i) – WIN

Judge, Superior Court, Fulton County: Scott McAfee (i) – WIN

Judge, Superior Court, Gwinnett County: Regina Matthews – WIN

Judge, DeKalb County State Court: Mike Jacobs* (i) – WIN

Judge, Fulton County State Court: Jane Morrison* (i) – WIN

 

Democratic Primary:

Senate District 33: Michael Doc Rhett (i) – WIN

Senate District 36: Nan Orrock (i) – WIN

Senate District 38: Rashaun Kemp* – RUNOFF

Senate District 40: Sally Harrell (i) – WIN

Senate District 41: Kim Jackson* (i) – WIN

Senate District 44: Elena Parent (i) – WIN

 

House District 47: Debra Shigley – WIN

House District 56: Bryce Berry – WIN

House District 58: Park Cannon* (i) – WIN

House District 60: Sheila Jones (i) – WIN

House District 84: Mary Margaret Oliver (i) – WIN

House District 85: Karla Drenner* (i) – WIN

House District 86: Imani Barnes* (i) – WIN

House District 90: Saira Draper (i) – WIN

House District 98: Marvin Lim* (i) – WIN

House District 107: Sam Park* (i) – WIN

House District 145: Juawn Jackson – RUNOFF

 

Local Races

Augusta District Attorney: Jared Williams (i) – WIN 

Cobb County Commission Chair: Lisa Cupid (i) – WIN

Cobb County Commission District 4: Monique Sheffield – WIN

Fulton County Commission District 4: Mo Ivory – RUNOFF

Gwinnett County Commission Chair: Nicole Love Hendrickson (i) – WIN

 

Dekalb County Board of Education: Andrew Ziffer – WIN

Gwinnett County Board of Education: Tarece Johnson-Morgan – WIN

by Jessica Douglas

Pocket of Faith: May 2024

Pocket of Faith is a monthly newsletter directly geared towards the intersection of LGBTQ+ human rights and faith. We are proud to showcase this important subject, revealing that faith, religion, and LGBTQ+ rights co-exist in harmony and not in opposition.

Written by Jai Davis (they/them), faith organizer for Georgia Equality

 

Continue reading →

by Jessica Douglas

Pocket of Faith: April 2024

Pocket of Faith is a monthly newsletter directly geared towards the intersection of LGBTQ+ human rights and faith. We are proud to showcase this important subject, revealing that faith, religion, and LGBTQ+ rights co-exist in harmony and not in opposition.

Written by Jai Davis (they/them), faith organizer for Georgia Equality

 

Continue reading →

by Jessica Douglas

We did it! All anti-LGBTQ bills in Georgia DEFEATED!

After many late nights at the State Capitol to finish out the 2024 legislative session, we could not be more excited to share that WE DID IT! We successfully defeated ALL anti-LGBTQ legislation! Out of nearly 20 anti-LGBTQ bills that we fought against this session, we stopped every one!!

Despite underhanded and anti-democratic tactics being employed in these last couple weeks, over 5,000 of us contacted our legislators and hundreds came out to the Capitol to make their voices heard in-person. Continue reading →

by Jessica Douglas

More than 300 Medical Providers Opposing Bans on Care for Trans Youth in Georgia

Dear Legislators, 

Earlier this week, the Georgia Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed a bill that would prohibit medical providers, like us, from providing medical care to transgender and gender-expansive youth in our state. In an orchestrated effort to prevent public testimony, the chairman of the committee added language to an unrelated bill, HB 1170, that would ban puberty-delaying medications and hormone therapy, even for patients who are currently receiving these treatments. This motion was undertaken without prior notice to the public or medical community, thus preventing any opposing testimony from qualified, board-certified endocrinologists, pediatric and adolescent gynecologists, adolescent medicine specialists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and other medical providers who treat patients with gender dysphoria.  Continue reading →