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Citizen Advocacy Lobby Training
Participants will learn how to most effectively communicate with elected officials on the local,
state and federal level and receive an update on the most important issues facing the LGBT and HIV communities during this year’s legislative session.
The training will take place at the Phillip Rush Center in Atlanta. There will be no charge for the training, but advance registration is required.
Lobby Training Details:
Date: Saturday, January 28th
Time: 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: Phillip Rush Center, 1530 DeKalb Ave. Atlanta, GA 30307
outrunbullying
2010 "Champions for Equality" award recipients continue their fight for justice...
Meet Austin & Maru. He was a high school student and she was his school counselor. Together
they established their schools first Gay Straight Alliance - in conservative Cobb County.
Determined to motivate broader change, Austin and Maru joined forces with a team of activists, educators and community organizations to establish the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition (GSSC). Austin and Maru have since taken their message from the school house to the U.S. Capitol, lobbying for anti-bullying measures such as the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act. Two years ago, they successfully helped secure enumerated protections for LGBT students and other marginalized populations in their local (and very conservative) school district’s anti-bullying and harassment policy. In recognition for their advocacy efforts, they were invited to the 2010 LGBT White House Pride Reception and subsequently honored with Georgia Equality’s “Champions for Equality” award. They also marched as Grand Marshals in the 2010 Atlanta Pride Parade.
Austin and Maru’s story proves that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when they work together.
Join Austin and Maru on their next adventure: running the Atlanta marathon and half marathon on March 18, 2012 to raise money for the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition (GSSC). Maru will be running the full marathon while Austin will run the half.
Learn more and help Maru and Austin meet their fundraising goal...
Status of House Bill 630 - Fair Employment Practices Act
CURRENT STATUS: HB 630 is currently assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. The next step is to have a hearing on the bill and pass it out of committee.
WHAT IS HB 630?
March 30, 2011 Representative Karla Drenner (D-86) introduced the Georgia Fair Employment Practices Bill. House Bill 630 is cosponsored by a total of 70 members of the House of Representatives, including 57 Democrats, 12 Republicans and 1 Independent. This legislation would amend state labor laws to add safeguards from discrimination in public employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity. All 174,000 employees working for the State of Georgia would be protected from discriminatory hiring and firing practices. If the legislation passes, Georgia would join twenty-one states that protect public employees based on sexual orientation and twelve states that protect based on gender identity.
“Georgia state law currently provides no protections for LGBT people, resulting in unfair treatment and many costly lawsuits. The victorious case of transgender woman Vandy Beth Glenn who was wrongfully fired from her job at the Capitol is one example for the need for legislation to prevent these cases from coming up in the first place,” stated Georgia Equality executive director, Jeff Graham. Graham added, “While this legislation does not address private employment in Georgia, it would provide clear instructions to agencies, supervisors and employees to prevent discrimination in public employment and set the tone for the rest of the state’s business sector.”
What can you do to help? CLICK HERE to find out!
Victory for Vandy Beth Glenn!
Eleventh Circuit Upholds Victory for Transgender Employee Fired by Georgia Legislature
Congratulations Vandy Beth Glenn and Lambda Legal. As attorney Greg Nevins says: "The law is on our side, but everyone shouldn’t need a lawyer to help them fight workplace discrimination."
We couldn't agree more. Tell the Georgia Legislature to pass HB 630 in 2012!!
A New Way To Give At The Office
As summer slips into fall, many employers are launching their annual employee giving 
campaigns. This year, we'd like you to consider giving directly to Georgia Equality during your company's annual employee giving campaign. Currently, Georgia Equality is involved in employee giving campaigns for the Combined Federal Campaign, the State of Georgia, Emory University, the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, and Atlanta City Schools. In the past few years, we’ve also begun to participate in the employee giving campaigns for Grady Health System, Paideia School and the design firm of Richard Wittschiebe Hand. If you work for one of these places, you will have the opportunity to help support our ongoing work to educate and mobilize communities to support LGBT equality through deductions in your paycheck. More...
Is Your Family Protected? Download These Important Documents
Same-sex couples can’t marry in Georgia….yet, but until then there are ways to protect your 
family. In 2007 Georgia Equality led the campaign which resulted in the passage of the Georgia Advance Directive for Healthcare (click link to download form), a state law securing the right of same-sex partners to ride in ambulances and have hospital visitation, among other protections. These documents are simple, short and easy to understand. Protect your family by downloading and signing them today!
Here’s what the document does:
PART ONE—Health Care Agent. This part allows you to choose someone to make health care decisions for you when you cannot (or do not want to) make health care decisions for yourself.
PART TWO—Treatment Preferences. This part allows you to state your treatment preferences if you have a terminal condition or if you are in a state of permanent unconsciousness. You should talk to your family and others close to you about your treatment preferences.
PART THREE—Guardianship. This part allows you to nominate a person to be your guardian should one ever be needed.
