Atlanta joins cities from around the world with march, rally under the Gold Dome
The ninth time was the charm for Keisha Waites, a lesbian candidate who appears to have won today's special election for State House District 60.
With 99 percent of percents reporting, unofficial election results from the Georgia Secretary of State's office showed Waites with 54.2 percent of the vote, or 321 votes, compared to 18.6 percent (110 votes) for Theresa Middlebrooks and 27.2 percent (161 votes) for Latrenka Riley.
The campaign was Waites' ninth bid for public office. She has previously sought seats in the Georgia House, Georgia Senate, the Fulton County Commission and the Atlanta City Council.
Redistricting maps created by Republican leaders in the Georgia House could leave two of the state’s three openly gay state lawmakers facing tough battles against fellow incumbents for re-election next year.
“Republican maps are forcing two of the three gay representatives (and the only two African-American LGBT representatives in the nation) into competition with fellow incumbent Democrats, resulting in the potential reduction of gay representation in the House,” Democratic Caucus leaders argued in talking points distributed to help build opposition to the proposal.
The Georgia General Assembly began meeting Aug. 15 in a special session to approve the maps, which were released Aug. 12. Redistricting takes place every 10 years after the release of results from the U.S. Census.
The Georgia General Assembly will meet in a special legislative session to begin Monday to discuss redistricting, among other topics, and two of the state's three openly gay legislators may be in the crosshairs.
Already a proposed legislative map is being discussed in public. State Rep. Stacey Abrams (D-Atlanta), the House Minority Leader, has accused the Republican-controlled legislature of pitting black Democratic state House representatives against white Democrats. Abrams, who is black, said Republican lawmakers are "purging the state of Georgia of white Democrats," a charge GOP leaders deny. The full map will be released Friday.
Georgia State Rep. Simone Bell (D-Atlanta) heads out west this weekend to speak at the San Diego Women's Pride Brunch before the parade steps off.
Bell, the first African-American out lesbian elected to a state legislature, speaks at the 11th annual brunch on Saturday, July 16.
“I ran for office so that I could bring together all of my passions toward social justice and human rights,” Bell said in an interview with the San Diego Gay and Lesbian News.
“I’ve worked in the LGBT community for many years. I also worked in health care for more than 10 years. I’ve been an organizer in my neighborhood around affordable housing, elder issues, youth empowerment, etc. I’ve also been out since I was 13 years old,” Bell said. “Running for public office was very organic to the journey I was on.”
Alan Tart came out as gay to his wife in 2000, when his daughter was not yet two years old. The two were promptly divorced. Shortly after Thanksgiving that year, he met David while having a drink at Blake’s in Midtown. The two have been together ever since and are raising Tart’s daughter, now 13.
The couple doesn’t live in Midtown. They live in Milton, the city in northern Fulton County that was incorporated in 2006. Since 2007, Tart has served as a Milton County City Council member. And, he says, he’s never hidden the fact he is gay.
“I have been out. My friends know I’m gay, my work knows I’m gay, my neighborhood knows I’m gay,” Tart said in an interview with the GA Voice.
If a gay politician comes out but many gay leaders never hear about it, is he really out?
In the last two weeks, Georgia’s gay political landscape got its own version of that oft-quoted question: If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, does it make a sound?
Within days, our state’s short list of known openly gay elected officials jumped by two. Any way you look at it, that’s progress.
But the ensuing reaction raised interesting questions about what it means to be “out,” especially in metro Atlanta in 2011, where gay people are more mainstream than ever, but many still fear discrimination both within their families and the community at large.
State Rep. Rashad Taylor and Milton City Councilman Alan Tart join list of out Georgia politicians
Tynesha Wells, 39, has not been to a gynecologist in two years although she knows it is important for her health to do so.
As a self-identified stud, Wells said she does not like facing the strange looks that sometimes come when she enters a doctor’s office dressed like a man.
“When I have gone they haven’t been sensitive at all,” Wells said about past experiences at a gynecologist’s office. “I know health wise I need it but do I want to go through the humiliating process to do it. You’re already in a vulnerable situation.”
Wells’ partner is feminine and doesn’t feel uncomfortable going for her annual exam.
State Rep. Simone Bell (D-Atlanta), the second openly gay person elected to the Georgia legislature, spoke at today's "Rally for Truth" at the state Capitol and urged lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to join the fight against immigration bills HB 87 and SB 40.
"I am one of two out lesbians who serve in the state House. I stand here today in total solidarity with you," Bell said to a crowd of thousands who oppose the immigration bills because activists say they encourage racial profiling and divide families.
"If the state of Georgia can do this to our Latino brothers and sisters you know they will do the same thing to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people," Bell added. "I had the opportunity to vote no on HB 87. I really feel like immigration is an issue that is important to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. I think every law that takes place under the Gold Dome is important to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and I hope my community will come out and support us," said Bell, who is also the first out African-American lesbian elected to any state legislature in the country.
Editor's note: This letter was submitted by Rep. Karla Drenner in response to a March 11 editorial by Laura Douglas-Brown titled "Gay state rep honors gay politician and lobbyist — only without the 'gay.'" Click here to read.
Dear Editor,
It was my great pleasure last week to author a resolution in the Georgia General Assembly to honor my longtime friend and colleague Cathy Woolard.
As most readers already know, Cathy is our very own Georgia treasure who has made her mark in this country and on the rest of the world. Her dedication to the needs of women and children, transportation, affordable housing, fair and equal treatment in the workplace, reproductive rights and human rights is remarkable.
Cathy is also gay.
Because of her sexuality — or maybe in spite of it — Cathy has worked harder to bring fairness and justice to Atlanta, to this region, indeed to this nation. Her tireless efforts during her tenure in Washington, D.C., helped many gay employees realize workplace justice.