LGBT reception tonight honors state Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-Atlanta), the most gay-friendly lawmaker in the General Assembly

Celebrating a Republican ally

Jacobs recently won Georgia Equality’s Political Advancement Award for his work passing anti-bullying legislation and supporting other LGBT issues. He faces Democrat Sandy Murray on the November ballot.

The event, which does not require a campaign donation to attend, is set for Sept. 14, 6-8 p.m. at Cowtippers, 1600 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30324, www.georgiaequality.org.

This week, Jacobs issued a statement praising a recent federal court decision against the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

“I applaud the recent U.S. District Court decision striking down the federal government’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. This is another step toward giving true meaning to the freedoms embodied in the Bill of Rights and making the government treat LGBT citizens with equality and dignity,” Jacobs said.

“I especially want to congratulate my friend and campaign treasurer Jamie Ensley for his testimony in the case. As the District Court’s decision states:  ‘The Court found Ensley to be a candid and credible witness.’  I couldn’t agree more,” Jacobs said.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” violates the Constitution’s guarantees of freedom of speech and due process, United States District Judge Virginia Phillips ruled Sept. 9.

The Log Cabin Republicans, a gay GOP group, sued the federal government in the United States District Court, Central District of California, on behalf of several of its members who had been discharged under the policy, which prohibits service members from acknowledging their sexual orientation.

Ensley, an Atlanta resident who serves on the national board of directors for Log Cabin Republicans, testified during the trial to provide evidence of the discharged service members’ membership in Log Cabin — and thus, why the gay group had standing to sue the government over the policy.