John Lewis Georgia's "Best in Congress" on LGBT Issues

Southern Voice rates Georgia's best and worst in Congress on LGBT issues. Civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis is considered Georgia’s "strongest ally for gay rights"—boasting a 100 score from the Human Rights Campaign and called a "lion and a legend" by HRC President Joe Solmonese. Lewis is closely followed by Rep. Hank Johnson with a 95 score.

Both have co-sponsored a series of gay rights bills. Lewis and Johnson both are co-sponsors of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act; Lewis has spoken out numerous times in favor of gay marriage and has appeared at many Atlanta Pride events.

Lewis’ district encompasses most of Atlanta, Johnson’s district includes much of DeKalb County, and both are considered two of the most solid Democratic districts in the country. As the Congressional districts move out from I-285, support for gay issues drop significantly.

Also worth noting: Lewis and Johnson's district's have the largest percentage of black voters in the state, a demographic pattern also seen in many of the pro-gay congressional districts across the Deep South.

Lewis—who has previously said "gay marriage is not a threat to heterosexual marriage"—has slammed anti-gay pastors in the black church and so-called "civil rights leaders" who say gay rights are not civil rights. Lewis told NPR's Terry Gross last winter: "I fought too hard and for too long against discrimination based on race and color, not to stand up against discrimination based on sexual orientation."

Rep. Paul Broun (R-Athens) comes in at the bottom of the list for his proposed anti-gay legislation and has been called "clearly one of the most vocal" anti-gay foes in Congress. Broun has a 0 score from HRC.

Georgia's Best and Worst in Congress [SoVo]

You May Also Enjoy...
Lewis and Ellison Arrested at Sudanese Embassy [R20]
John Lewis: "Gay Marriage Not a Threat to Heterosexuals" [R20]

Comments

[Derrick from Philly]

How ironic. The media has recently been painting black folks as the most homophobic folks in the country. Here, the two most gay-supportive members of Congress are black men. But I always knew John Lewis was great--he was already great when he was nineteen yeas old--and brave, of course.

[Chitown Kev]

what has always impressed me about John Lewis is that he says this publically and takes on the black church when he does so.

Of course, the pro-gay caucus in the Congress is the Congressional Black Caucus and I agree with you, Derrick, we don't hear that from the MSM.

[mjolnir202]

You might wanna pass this along to the posters on Towleroad and Queerty. They might faint in their whiteness.