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Political Insider

Sandy Springs councilman proposes LGBT protections

State Reps. Dee Dawkins-Haigler, D – Lithonia (from left); Taylor Bennett, D – Brookhaven; Karla Drenner, D-Avondale Estates; Keisha Waites, D-Atlanta; and Park Cannon, D-Atlanta, at a Monday press conference opposing the passage of House Bill 757, the “religious liberty” measure. They urged Gov. Deal to veto the bill. Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com

Credit: Jim Galloway

Credit: Jim Galloway

State Reps. Dee Dawkins-Haigler, D – Lithonia (from left); Taylor Bennett, D – Brookhaven; Karla Drenner, D-Avondale Estates; Keisha Waites, D-Atlanta; and Park Cannon, D-Atlanta, at a Monday press conference opposing the passage of House Bill 757, the “religious liberty” measure. They urged Gov. Deal to veto the bill. Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com
By Jim Galloway
March 21, 2016

It is an open question whether HB 757, the "religious liberty" legislation now on Gov. Nathan Deal's desk will negate local ordinances in Atlanta and elsewhere that forbid discrimination by sexual orientation.

House Speaker David Ralston last week said the fate of such ordinances would be in the hands of the courts. Religious conservatives have identified the overturning of such local requirements as one of their primary objectives.

And yet, in Sandy Springs, we have Councilman Andy Bauman proposing just the opposite. He wants a local ordinance that offers LGBT protection. From the press release:

More: The behind-the-scenes story on Georgia's religious liberty debate

More: From the right: Critics of 'religious liberty' bill say it doesn't go far enough

More: The growing corporate outrage over Georgia's 'religious liberty' bill

More: Weeks of debate ahead over Georgia's religious liberty bill

More: Inside Nathan Deal's debate over the new 'religious liberty' measure

About the Author

Jim Galloway, the newspaper’s former political columnist, was a writer and editor at the AJC for four decades.

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