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Southern Stories
Building on-the-ground capacity and amplifying the stories of LGBTQ people and their allies in the U.S. South.
Recent news from Southern Stories
The year 2020, with its challenges, has demonstrated that the LGBTQ community is vibrant, diverse and engaged. And we vote. The LGBTQ community tipped the 2020 election, and the LGBTQ community of Georgia has the power to do it again in 2021.
We recently asked members of our amazing Latinx LGBTQ community to share who would be in their hearts and on their minds as they voted. This is what they told us. A big gracias & thank you to everyone who participated!
El tiroteo masivo ocurrido en la discoteca Pulse el 12 de junio de 2016, en Orlando, Florida, le arrebató la vida a 49 personas y dejó 53 heridos. No sólo fue unos de los ataques con mayor número de muertos en la historia de los Estados Unidos, sino también es el incidente más violento y fatal en contra de la comunidad LGBTQ en la nación.
Our relationship guaranteed queer visibility but also increased our fear of experiencing open homophobia.
Once a regular college student, Kaj is now forced to publicly fight for her right to live openly—like everyone else, or hide who she is in her own home.
SB 1140 would allow adoption and foster care agencies to turn away LGBTQ couples and deny kids good homes.
The guide contains story leads, a glossary of terms and definitions frequently used in reporting, terms to avoid, and common pitfalls – useful for the convening of the Florida State Legislature on January 9. It also includes a general timeline outlining Florida’s history on LGBTQ issues from 1972 to today
HB 1523 allows individuals, businesses, and religious-affiliated organizations to openly discriminate against members of the LGBTQ community
SCOTUS upheld a ruling threatening spousal benefits for LGBTQ couples by declining to hear Pidgeon v Turner
"Closing the gap to full acceptance of LGBTQ people will not come from legislation or judicial decisions alone, but from a deeper understanding and empathy from Americans themselves. Accelerating acceptance will require the help of not just LGBTQ people, but also their allies -- everyday Americans who feels strongly and take an active role to make sure that their LGBTQ friends and family are fully accepted members of society."
- Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President & CEO
Why the South? Why now?
In late 2014, GLAAD commissioned Harris Poll to measure attitudes towards LGBTQ Americans. What we found is that even though 2015 has been (and is poised to continue to be) an historic year for the rights of LGBTQ Americans, beneath legal and policy progress lies a layer of uneasiness and discomfort. While the public is increasingly embracing LGBTQ civil rights and equal protection under the law, many are still uncomfortable with having LGBTQ people in their families and the communities where they live. Within these numbers we find that Southerners feel significantly more discomfort about their LGBTQ family, friends, and neighbors than is found in other regions of the country.
Americans' attitudes and behavior on LGBTQ equality are not just influenced by what they see and hear, but who they know. GLAAD's Southern Stories initiative tells the stories of LGBTQ people and their allies in the South to create a cultural shift towards LGBTQ acceptance and understanding in the region.