News & Commentary

“The latest federal data on the well-being of American kids found LGBTQ students were much more likely to have experienced all forms of violence and worse mental health outcomes than straight youths.”

Georgia lawmakers passed Senate Bill 140 along party lines in the Senate late Monday night, Crossover Day, to the dismay of the ACLU of Georgia and the numerous LGBTQ+ organizations and advocates who have been speaking out against this harmful piece of legislation.

Our attorneys and staffers are watching with great interest on Crossover Day as many bills face their first major test. The bills we support in this legislative session are the ones that protect and/or enhance the constitutional rights of all Georgians.

ACLU of Georgia Executive Director Andrea Young joined Fredricka Whitfield CNN to discuss President Biden's visit to the Edmund Pettus Bridge and the current fight for constitutional rights. 

It was another extremely busy week under the Gold Dome. Georgia lawmakers pushed forward a harmful anti-voting omnibus bill, tabled a vaguely written “don’t say gay” bill, and passed a measure in the House protecting pregnant workers following some pointed testimony from one of our policy advocates.

Today, we had a tremendous turnout for ACLU of Georgia’s Student Lobby Day. Students from East Coweta High School, Georgia Southern University, Emory University, and other schools learned about the legislative process and helped inform lawmakers about several high-priority pieces of legislation.

Georgia lawmakers have introduced several anti-voting bills, ultimately aimed at making it harder for people to have their voices heard during future elections. We oppose these bills because steps should be taken to make it easier to vote in Georgia, not harder.

To kick off this week of legislative action, we joined Delta Sigma Theta Sorority today for the 2023 Delta Day at the Capitol. ACLU of Georgia staff helped plan the event, during which members of the historic sorority were fired up to help advocate for social change and impactful public policy.

So far during the 2023 Georgia Legislative Session, lawmakers have introduced at least four bills attacking LGBTQ rights, especially transgender youth. We’re tracking these attacks at the Capitol and working with partners to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.