Parade honors Georgia Safe Schools Coalition

The Georgia Safe Schools Coalition, co-founded by UGA College of Education professors Anneliese Singh and Corey W. Johnson, was honored during the 2014 Atlanta Pride Parade by serving as an organizational grand marshal. The annual event featured dignitaries and activists from across the state.

The Georgia Safe Schools Coalition is a partnership of educators, community organizations and activists dedicated to raising awareness about issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and intersex youth and their families. The organization's goal is to end sexual and gender identity oppression in Georgia schools while also working to end all forms of injustice. The effort also has produced two documentaries on students in Georgia, and campaigns throughout the state now allow more than 1 million students to attend school with explicit protections over sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.

In addition to Johnson and Singh, College of Education alumni Ken Jackson and Yancey Gulley and student Kim Hughes are active core founding members, along with other safe schools advocates and community organizations.

Last year also marked the fifth anniversary of the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition, and the opportunity to serve as a grand marshal was an honor, said Singh. "Our coalition members are all incredibly dedicated volunteers working with Georgia students, families and educators who are struggling with bullying, harassment, being kicked out of school and their homes, being funneled into the school-to-prison pipeline, and so many other situations that are heartbreaking," she added. "But we know our commitment to targeting Georgia, and our state's unique features, is making a difference."