Anti-equality legislators prioritized anti-LGBTQ+ bills over solutions to pressing issues in Georgia Advocates were still able to defeat a number of hateful bills Democratic lawmakers walked off the floor of the legislature this week to protest the rash of anti-transgender bills  Georgia’s state legislative session came to a close yesterday after a flurry of anti-LGBTQ+ bills were fast-tracked over the finish line. The slate of hate is the latest in a coordinated national campaign to use LGBTQ+ people as a political wedge and curtail rights and freedoms. The bills passed this session include: SB 1, a bill banning sports participation and restricting access to bathrooms and locker rooms for transgender youth SB 36, a bill that would create a license to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people under the guise of “religious freedom” SB 185, an unconstitutional ban on access to medically-necessary care for incarcerated transgender people Still, the community was able to fend off a number of anti-LGBTQ+ proposals this session. Bills to expand the state’s existing ban on access to medically-necessary health care for transgender youth, ban state funds from being used to cover medically-necessary care for transgender Georgians, and prohibit public schools and universities from doing DEI programming and allow the state to withhold funding from schools that do not comply all failed to come to the floor for a vote. In total, of the twelve anti-LGBTQ+ bills that moved this session, nine were defeated. “Every Georgian deserves the freedom to live, to love – the freedom to be – without facing discrimination simply because of who they are,” said Human Rights Campaign Georgia State Director Bentley Hudgins. “But instead of putting the pressing needs of Georgia families first, anti-equality lawmakers prioritized hate this session, bending over backward to punish LGBTQ+ people for existing. If signed, this slate of hate legislation will make Georgia less safe, less welcoming, and less inclusive in the years to come. It means that people could be subjected to state-sanctioned discrimination, that young people and their families could lose access to the health care they need, and that students across Georgia have their chance to thrive on a team ripped away. Anti-equality lawmakers were given one chance after another to make clear that they were not standing on the side of hate – and they refused. Today is a dark and shameful day in our state’s history, but the fight for equality, dignity, and respect for all Georgians isn’t going anywhere.” “These bills are intended to further divide our communities and cause harm to vulnerable Georgians,” said Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff Graham. “LGBTQ Georgians and our allies must stand proud of what we have accomplished over the years. A broad and diverse coalition of faith leaders, allied organizations and business interests have stood with us for over a decade to resist the efforts to enact the slate of hate that we have seen come out of the Georgia legislature this year. As hard as these legislative defeats are, we cannot allow ourselves to fall into a state of despair that keeps us from continuing to fight; that’s what this onslaught of anti-LGBTO legislation hopes to accomplish. Georgia Equality will continue to push for the day when we finally pass a strong statewide civil rights law that protects all vulnerable Georgians from discrimination.” The passage of a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ bills came despite fierce, vocal opposition in the Capitol. The LGBTQ+ community was ready to resist attacks from day one of session, with over 100 advocates showing up to the Capitol on January 13 for a “Show Up for Trans Georgians” rally to protest the introduction of anti-transgender legislation. On March 4, hundreds of LGBTQ+ and allied Georgians descended on the Capitol to rally in support of equality, denounce hateful legislation, and demand that lawmakers choose freedom over hate. And in the legislative session’s closing days, Democratic lawmakers walked off the floor of the legislature to protest the rash of anti-transgender bills. For more than a decade, a coalition of advocates, organizations, and lawmakers had successfully stopped legislation aimed at green lighting discrimination against LGBTQ+ Georgians under the guise of “religious freedom”. However, this session, anti-equality lawmakers rejected amendments designed to clarify that SB 36 could not be used as a discriminatory sword against marginalized communities, making clear their intent to usher a license to discriminate into law. SB 36, the license to discriminate bill, was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp this week. According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2024 State Equality Index, Georgia is a “High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality” state, designating the state as one in which “advocates focus on raising support for basic LGBTQ+ equality, such as non-discrimination protections in employment, housing and public accommodations.”  SB 1 and SB 185 are now on Governor Kemp’s desk awaiting his signature or veto. 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