After a three-year stint in the Army, Patricia Powell was managing her brother’s barbecue restaurant, Hecky’s in Evanston, Ill., when she got a phone call from her sister in Atlanta.
“She said I should move down here, they were hiring police officers. I said, ‘Me, a police officer?’ She said you’d be good, you’re in shape,” Powell said.
Powell, who played basketball for the Army (position: guard), was ready to move from the cold climate of Chicago and the restaurant business and try something new.
So at 35 she packed her bags, moved to Atlanta and began the process of becoming an APD officer. Some 11 years later, she was named the department’s LGBT liaison officer.
In the Democratic primary for the District 6 seat on the Fulton County Commission, lesbian candidates Joan Garner and Keisha Waites are headed for a runoff.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, unofficial election results from Fulton County showed Waites in first place with 3,576 votes, or 41.45 percent, and Garner in second with 3,408 votes, or 39.5 percent. David Holder had 837 votes for 9.7 percent and Sally Smith had 807 votes for 9.35. Only 168 votes separated Waites and Garner.
Since no candidate received 50 percent plus one vote, the top two advance to a runoff on Aug. 10.
Lesbian rocker Melissa Etheridge performs tonight at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center
Our coverage of yesterday's state and local primary races
Today is the last day to submit your pet for our first Pet Issue
Fans can still join in the fun at Eddie's Attic by watching concert on closed-circuit TV feed
'L Word' creator Ilene Chaiken says her dream is for the new reality series to eventually be franchised to other cities, much like "The Real World" or "The Real Housewives."
This year, Georgia elects a new governor, every state constitutional office, and every seat in the state legislature, plus many other offices ranging from U.S. Senate to county commissions.
The upcoming July 20 primaries will determine which Republicans and Democrats will battle it out in the Nov. 2 general election. A few November races also include a Libertarian or independent candidate as well.
The primary ballot includes three openly gay candidates: Joan Garner and Keisha Waites for Fulton County Commission District 6, and Keith Gross for State House District 80.
And while few candidates for the state’s top offices have openly campaigned for LGBT votes, many have long records — some positive, more negative — on issues that impact our community.
Before you vote in today's primary, take a look at our profiles of the candidates and their stands on LGBT issues
With Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial primary debate sinking to all-time lows in a race to the bottom to see who hates gay people the most, a bright spot appeared in the New York Times today about gay marriage and the Peach State.
No, marriage equality won’t be legalized anytime soon, but one local couple, Kirsten and Maria Palladino, were featured in the newspaper for starting Equally Wed, an online magazine that caters to same-sex couples seeking advice on everything from what to wear to places to honeymoon to whether or not to invite anti-gay relatives to the ceremony.