We’re so proud of all of our work within our communities to make change on the individual level through support, education, and changing the way that people view LGBTQ+ people. But that work is treating the symptoms of larger systemic problems that need to be addressed through advocacy and legislation.
Advocacy is a huge part of the mission of PFLAG where we work, with the help of our members and supporters, at the community, state, and federal levels to effect legislative change so that LGBTQ+ individuals and their families are safe and equal in their communities.
Want to get involved or discuss a particular issue with us? Send us a message about it!
Current Advocacy
Federal
- We are part of active PFLAG National campaigns to promote the following bills and to encourage people to write to their representatives to ask them to support the bills.
- Equality Act HR5, S393 – provides consistent and explicit anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across key areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service. Contact your representatives here.
- HR1378: Do No Harm Act – clarifies that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act is intended to protect religious freedom without allowing the infliction of harm on other people. Contact your representatives here.
State
- The 2021/ 2022 Georgia legislative session ended on April 4. The biggest disappointment here was the passing of HB1084 which includes a measure to ban trans youth from competing in school sports.
- The next legislative session will start in January of 2023 and bills can be pre-filed as early as November 2022. Any bill of the previous session that did not move forward would have to be reintroduced again in this upcoming session. Considering the increasing hateful discriminatory rhetoric towards the LGBTQ+ community, we are expecting further bills that could discriminate against and hurt our community and we need to stay vigilant. We will continue to work with our partner Georgia Equality in our efforts to advocate on behalf of our LGBTQ+ community and educate our members about upcoming legislative events – stay tuned!
Past Advocacy
State
- 2022: While we worked to fight a controversial transgender sports ban in 2022, the effort was ultimately unsuccessful. House Bill 1084 not only limits what topics can or cannot be discussed in schools, it also empowers the Georgia High School Association to change its rules to require students to play on a team that matches the gender assigned on their birth certificate. We will continue to fight this unreasonable and dangerous discrimination of our transgender youth.
- 2021: The 2021 legislative session brought a huge number of anti-trans bills across many states, particularly targeting trans youth, and Georgia was no exception. HB276, HB372, & SB266 sought to keep trans youth from competing in school sports while HB401 would have made it a criminal act for doctors to provide trans healthcare to children. We contacted legislators en masse and partnered with Georgia Equality to educate people on the origins of these bills.
- 2020: In response to a proposed ban on transgender medical care in Georgia, we initiated a letter writing campaign for families to contact legislators with personal stories and to urge them to vote against the bill. The bill never made it to committee.
Local
- February 2020: We worked with the Johns Creek City Council to encourage them to adopt an LGBTQ+ inclusive hate crimes ordinance.
Want to get involved or discuss a particular issue with us? Send us a message about it!