RiseUP Georgia and GetEQUAL Georgia Welcome Heterosexuals to Atlanta Airport
ATLANTA, GA - March 19, 2015-- As the Georgia General Assembly moves forward with Senate Bill 129, members of GetEQUAL and Rise Up Georgia took to the Delta terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to welcome heterosexual tourists to the state of Georgia. These two bills would allow the state government, corporations, and privately-owned businesses to discriminate on the basis of their "strongly held religious beliefs." GetEQUAL and Rise Up Georgia members recognize that these bills would make travel to the state of Georgia unadvisable for LGBTQ people, and took to the airport to welcome the heterosexual tourists that the state of Georgia has clearly indicated it would prefer.
GetEQUAL Georgia — a statewide grassroots social justice organization working toward the full equality of all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Georgians — and Rise Up Georgia — a statewide grassroots organizing group working to create strong communities, invest in the future, and uphold dignity in public, at home, and in workplaces — released a travel advisory earlier this month to alert potential visitors to the state that, in light of this new bill, Georgia is no longer a safe place to travel for LGBTQ people, women, children, religious minorities, or people of color.
"I'm a graduate of Berry College in Rome, Georgia, and I'd love to be able to travel to my college reunion this fall," said GetEQUAL co-director Heather Cronk. "However, the threat of SB 129 passing through the legislature makes it potentially unsafe for the LGBTQ community to live in or visit Georgia. I hope that companies like Delta will stand up to publicly oppose this bill, and that legislators will see that it's unnecessary, discriminatory, and dangerous."
This action is taking place as LGBTQ people are under attack around the country — GetEQUAL has documented dozens of unbelievable anti-LGBTQ bills pending in over 20 state legislatures right now via a new website: www.WeCantBelieveThis.org. The bills pending in Georgia are just one instance in which right-wing backlash against LGBTQ individuals has jeopardized the state's economy by undermining business and tourist industries.
By satirizing Georgia's move to victimize LGBTQ people at the expense of the many businesses based in Georgia, GetEQUAL and RiseUP Georgia are seeking to demonstrate just how dangerous anti-LGBTQ backlash can be — for everyone.
Pictures of the airport action, as well as the action GetEQUAL held yesterday at the Georgia State Capitol are available on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/getequal
This week, GetEQUAL also celebrated its five-year anniversary by launching a new campaign aimed at winning full federal equality for LGBTQ people, starting with an LGBTQ Bill of Rights that is rooted in the real needs of LGBTQ people across the country. This campaign is a response to the widespread attacks on LGBTQ individuals, and is an effort to articulate what the community needs, rather than simply playing defense. More information on the LGBTQ Bill of Rights is available at www.NoAsterisks.org.
GetEQUAL is a national grassroots social justice organization whose mission is to empower the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community and our allies to take bold action to demand full legal and social equality, and to hold accountable those who stand in the way. For more information go to www.getequal.org. You can also follow GetEQUAL on Facebook at www.facebook.com/getequal or on Twitter at @GetEQUAL.
Rise Up Georgia is creating strong communities, investing in the future, and upholding dignity in public, at home, & at our workplaces. You can see more about Rise Up Georgia's work at www.riseupga.org. You can also follow Rise Up Georgia on Facebook at www.facebook.com/riseupga or on Twitter at @RiseUpGeorgia.
