This tale was updated at 11: 14 a. m.
Georgia’s LGBTQ rights activists are concerned about a number of bills that are currently being introduced in the legislature this period.
They filled Liberty Plaza across from the state Capitol in Atlanta on Tuesday for” Pride to the Capitol”, a protest and lobbying time organized by the Human Rights Campaign, Georgia Equality, the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition, SPLC Action and another partner companies.
Bentley Hudgins serves as the HRC’s Georgia position producer. They claimed that Georgia and the United States have each had a record number of anti-LGBT costs introduced.
” In Georgia, over 20 anti- Gay charges were filed or introduced over this period”, said Hudgins,” We came to tell lawmakers gay Georgians are part of the community, we love them, and we want them to feeling welcomed in the state”.
The day of the action comes at a time when LGBTQ Georgians and friends are concerned about diminishing right. Hudgins addressed the audience and emphasized the significance of these expenses ‘ outcomes.
” We are at a point where we have a lot to drop.” And that’s the justification for our presence. That is why we have to combat”, they said.
Bentley Hudgins, the Georgia position chairman of the Human Rights Campaign, speaks during a rally at Liberty Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. ( Melissa Feito/WABE )
Activists focused on two of the different expenses that the teams in presence were concerned about, particularly Senate Bill 88 and Senate Bill 180.
SB 88 may require school districts to establish guidelines for when and how parents would be able to participate in these classes in addition to restricting how sex and gender are discussed in the classroom. Additionally, it would be illegal to modify school records to represent a child’s gender identity change, and it would also be illegal to change how students communicate with teachers about their gender identities.
Opponents are concerned that, if passed, SB 88 would n’t let students be out at school without their parents being notified.
That does n’t sit right with Rhea Wunsch. She attends Georgia State University as a scholar and a member of the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition.
According to Wunsch, “teachers may be secure places for us to go,” and this bill would eliminate that aspect of education. Our representatives and legislators are removing that from students because they believe that students may feel secure in their own lives.
Wunsch says she is concerned about the school sending out letters to students who do n’t have safe homes to their parents.
Sen. Carden Summers, the president’s partner, recently told WABE that parents and guardians have the right to be informed and have a claim in these types of discussions that take place at school.
SB 180, or the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act, is meant to protect women’s religious freedom from local and state governments.
However, the bill’s opponents are concerned that it might provide personal businesses constitutional protections from discrimination against LGBTQ people. Additionally, they assert that it might conflict with local regulations that outlaw discrimination based on gender or sexual preference.
Otherwise, Hudgins wants to see the state choose a nationwide equality law— one that includes “explicit protections” for the LGBTQ community.
Both SB 88 and SB 180 have passed out of their individual boards. On Thursday, the whole Senate will vote on SB 180. SB 88 has not yet been scheduled for a ballot.
Uncovering claims that she and her coworkers are closely monitoring the results of these elections.
” Younger people are paying attention”, she said,” Young folks are here in large quantities, just like we are going to show up to the elections in November in great numbers”.
Wunsch wants Georgia’s politicians to be aware that her century has a strong sense of education.
” We’re watching them, and we are holding them accountable”.
