🗳️ Elections & consequences

The next battle

Wednesday, Jun. 17 — On the heels of yesterday’s runoff election (see coverage and results), the Georgia Legislature is back at the Gold Dome today for a special session as Republicans seek to redraw the congressional and state legislative districts following a U.S. Supreme Court decision undoing a key part of the Voting Rights Act. The move to disenfranchise Democrats – especially in majority Black voting districts – could upend politics in Georgia for years to come as Republicans are desperate to cling to power.  NOTE: After this newsletter was sent to subscribers, we received word that Georgia Republicans had declined to take up redistricting during the special session. Read more about that here.

Here are a few more headlines:

🎖️ The Trump administration has ordered the elimination of LGBTQ+ care programs for military veterans nationwide at its network of medical centers and hospitals. 

⚖️ A federal judge blocked Idaho’s new law threatening transgender people with up to five years in prison for using public restrooms consistent with their gender identity. 

⚾ Major League Baseball warned players not to deface uniforms after several members of the San Francisco Giants openly defied their team’s Pride Night event by writing Bible verses on their caps. 

⚕️ A transgender deputy in the Houston County Sheriff’s Department has settled a case over the Georgia county’s health insurance policy, which excluded gender affirming healthcare.

💗 Macon Pride launched its inaugural Summer of Giving campaign to “uplift Middle Georgia through hands‑on service, creative collaboration and community‑driven fundraising.”

🎨 RIP to the great British artist David Hockney, who died last week at age 88.

All I wanted was your reckless heart…
Collin

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🎻  Broadway, fiddle tunes, and cowboy songs — come celebrate America@250 when your Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs the ultimate all-American playlist, from Bernstein’s unforgettable West Side Story to Copland’s breathtaking classic Appalachian Spring. Tomorrow, June 17, at 8 p.m. at Atlanta Symphony Hall. SPONSOR MESSAGE

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Another big Pride Weekend on the way

🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ Ready for another weekend of Pride events? On tap is Southern Fried Queer Pride and the Old Fourth Ward Pride Bar Crawl in Atlanta, while 912 LGBTQ will be hosting a Pride Beach Party on Saint Simon’s Island. 

Next weekend is going to be a real blowout with celebrations in Rome, Augusta, and more. Mark your calendars!

➡ Check out our Pride Guide here and be sure to visit our IG stories to see even more events happening across the state.

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Dinosaur Summer. It’s here.
SPONSORED BY THE FERNBANK MUSEUM

🦖 They ruled the Earth for millions of years. This summer, they rule Atlanta.

Always a favorite dinosaur destination, Fernbank has even more ways to satisfy your inner paleontologist with exhibits, cinema, programs and more this summer! Come face-to-jaws with the Tyrannosaurus rex in the new exhibit, T. rex: The Ultimate Predator. Learn about the iconic dinosaur through life-sized models, specimens, and interactives.

Also, Museum Nights gets a Jurassic twist during LATER: Rex Factor. It’s casual, curious, and the best way to kick off the weekend to connect, discover, and unwind in a come-and-go atmosphere for all ages, with a grownup vibe. 

➞ Experience it all this summer at Fernbank.

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Georgia could elect first openly transgender, nonbinary lawmaker

🗳️ In January, the Georgia Legislature is likely to welcome its first openly transgender, nonbinary and Japanese-American lawmaker, and all these firsts could be courtesy of one person.

Bentley Hudgins, whose experience includes serving as Georgia state director for the Human Rights Campaign, was the top vote-getter in last month’s Democratic primary election to represent House District 90, which includes parts of DeKalb County.

Hudgins defeated fellow Democrat Leisa Stafford with just over two-thirds of the vote. Republican Samantha Boston, a commodity analyst, is running on the Republican ticket. The district is one of the most Democratic in the state.

➡ Read our media partner Georgia Recorder’s feature on Hudgins. 

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Queens of the Crypt ghost tours in L5P for Pride

👻 The award-winning drag troupe ALT3R will be hosting ghost tours of Little 5 Points in Atlanta every Friday and Saturday from June 19 to July 18 to celebrate Pride.

ALT3R queens Hera Kane, Katrina Prowess, and Minty will exhume the stories, unearth the voices, and explore the spirits that still echo through the streets.

Part history tour, part drag show, and part paranormal adventure, the Queens of the Crypt walking tour will uncover the legends, mysteries, and characters that have made Little 5 Points one of Atlanta’s most iconic neighborhoods.

➡ Find out more about the tours here.

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🎻  Broadway, fiddle tunes, and cowboy songs — come celebrate America@250 when your Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs the ultimate all-American playlist, from Bernstein’s unforgettable West Side Story to Copland’s breathtaking classic Appalachian Spring. Tonight, June 17, at 8 p.m. at Atlanta Symphony Hall. SPONSOR MESSAGE

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Best Bets

⚽ Pride House ATL’s FIFA World Cup watch parties continue this weekend at Decatur Watchfest and The Works. 

🧹 Ginger Minj and Jujubee’s “Wicked” parody, “Licked: For Gay,” continues at Out Front Theatre through June 28.

🦁 Pride Night at Zoo Atlanta is Saturday, June 20, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for ages 21 and up. 

🏀 OUT Georgia Business Alliance and United Way are hosting an Atlanta Dream Takeover Night on June 22 to raise money for its Impact Fund, which invests in nonprofits serving the LGBTQ+ community.

🍿 The Landmark Pride Series continues at Midtown Art Cinema on June 22 with a screening of “Brokeback Mountain.”

➡ Find many more events and activities in our IG stories @thegeorgiavoice.

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