The National LGBT Media Association (NGMA), which includes Gay City News and 11 other LGBTQ publications nationwide, approved a resolution banning any meetings in the state of Georgia in response to the state’s voter suppression law.
The law, pushed forward by Georgia’s Republican-led State Legislature, imposes a mail-in ballot deadline 11 days ahead of a primary election, limits the timeframe during which voters can drop off absentee ballots, and reduces the amount of drop boxes available for voters in each county, among other rules that are expected to limit voter access — especially in communities of color.
In response to the new law, widespread outrage has ensued among corporations and sports leagues such as Major League Baseball, which abandoned its plans to host the annual All-Star festivities in Atlanta.
Described by President Joe Biden as “Jim Crow in the 21st Century,” the law comes just months after voters in Georgia played a pivotal role in ousting President Donald Trump and carrying Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to victory over their Republican counterparts in two Senate races that helped the Democrats narrowly regain control of the upper chamber.
“With these laws, it is now easier to get a gun in Georgia than to vote.” NGMA co-chair Leo Cusimano said in a written statement. The NGMA will not hold any meetings in the state until fair election laws are created to ensure equal and fair voting access.
The NGMA consists of the 12 largest LGBTQ publications in the country, including Gay City News, the Bay Area Reporter in San Francisco, the Philadelphia Gay News, the Los Angeles Blade, Washington Blade, South Florida Gay News, Windy City Times, Watermark, Georgia Voice, Dallas Voice, Between the Lines in Detroit, and Bay Windows in Boston.
To sign up for the Gay City News email newsletter, visit gaycitynews.com/newsletter.
