Gay activists and allies plan Wednesday to protest Uganda's "Kill the Gays Bill" at the Georgia State Capitol from noon to 1 p.m.
Organized by J.R. Rich, the Facebook invite to the protest describes the Uganda bill as "genocide" and states, "It is 2012 and there is still genocide in the world and we can not let it happen! PLEASE join the fight and let your lawmakers know you want them to speak up and end this atrocity!"
Leaders in Uganda are pushing the bill to be passed soon as a "Christmas gift to the people of Uganda" as stated in the video below that was posted to YouTube on Nov. 12.
For most of life, Blake Alford was enveloped by solitude.
From the ostracism experienced coming of age in the 1950s and ‘60s – getting beaten up and kicked down the stairs at school for being queer – to more than 30 years on the road driving a truck, Alford was used to feeling alone.
And sharing one’s own company can be particularly isolating when you are at war with yourself, when your body and your mind have dueling definitions of who you are.
“Being behind the wheel of a truck, you don’t see very many libraries, you don’t hear very much about being transgender, especially back during that time, so I didn’t have any information about it,” said Alford, who, at age 56, transitioned from female-to-male almost a decade ago.
LGBT rights activists are gearing up to counter an upcoming visit to Georgia by Exodus International, which brings its “Love Won Out” conference to Villa Rica on Feb. 18.
The Queer Justice League, the Southern Poverty Law Center, GetEqual and Truth Wins Out are coming together to educate the public at a community discussion at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer on Feb. 16 and also planning a protest at the “Love Won Out” conference at Midway Church in Villa Ricca on Feb. 18.
The organization at the center of their ire is Exodus International, a 35 year old “ministry committed to encouraging, educating and equipping the Body of Christ to address the issue of homosexuality with grace and truth” according to its website.
Protest of 'ex-gay' ministry today in Villa Rica
A lesbian couple in Riverdale, Ga., will get to stay in their home after successfully negotiating a refinanced mortgage with the help of activists from Occupy Atlanta, according to an article published today on Huffington Post.
Brigitte Walker, and her partner Ajai Craig, turned to Occupy Atlanta for help earlier this month when Walker, a veteran on 90 percent disability, found out her home was facing foreclosure by mortgage holder, JP Morgan Chase. Walker said at the time her limited income through disability and JPMorgan Chase's unwillingness to negotiate new terms to the loan meant she was in "a deep hole."
Members of the Occupy movement moved in with Walker and Craig, drawing national attention to the couple's case. Occupy Atlanta also canvassed Walker's neighborhood and even set up "Occupy Riverdale" headquarters in Walker's garage. Huffington Post reports that a loan modification became official earlier today, which will save the couple “hundreds of dollars” a month in mortgage payments.
As the close of the Georgia legislative session nears, immigration bills that some LGBT activists call discriminatory are advancing in the House and Senate.
On Monday, March 14, the Georgia Senate passed Senate Bill 40, sponsored by state Sen. Jack Murphy (R-Cumming), which is designed to “enhance the use of the federal E-Verify system and to allow local and state law enforcement officers to help federal authorities identify illegal immigrants in Georgia,” according to a press release from Murphy.
On March 3, lawmakers passed House Bill 87, named the “Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011” but called by opponents the “Show Me Your Papers” law. HB 87 is sponsored by state Rep. Matt Ramsey (R-Peachtree City).