New Bill Would Ban Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation in State Government Jobs

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Credit Ga. General Assembly

Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates)

On Wednesday, Feb. 20, Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates) introduced HB 427, which would bar Georgia's state government from discriminating based on sexual orientation in hiring and promotion.

It's not the first time Drenner has tried to pass the measure, but this year she has the backing of some leaders in the Republican House majority, including Judiciary Committee chairman Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs) and the committee's vice chairman, Mike Jacobs (R-Brookhaven).

In a conversation with WABE's Denis O'Hayer, Drenner spoke about why she limited the scope of the bill to state government jobs. In the expanded version, Drenner talks at length about what it was like for an openly gay lawmaker when she arrived at the Capitol as a freshman in 2001, and how things have changed since then.