VIDEOS: Stacey Abrams and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens Featured at Human Rights Campaign’s Atlanta Dinner

by Matilda Young •

ATLANTA – Saturday night, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, hosted its Atlanta Dinner. The event featured a speech from Stacey Abrams, whom HRC endorsed for Governor of Georgia last month. Stacey Abrams is a proven leader and an inspirational figure whose voting rights organization partnered with HRC in the 2020 election to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ voters nationwide. Abrams has been a strong ally to the LGBTQ+ community, as she fought against regressive, anti-equality legislation during her time in the Georgia House of Representatives and supported policies like nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Georgians and marriage equality.

The evening also included remarks from the Mayor of Atlanta Andre Dickens, who has been a staunch LGBTQ+ advocate in his position.

Click here for videos of Stacey Abrams and Andre Dickens. Excerpts from their speeches are below.

Find some key excerpts from Stacey Abrams’s speech below:

“I am here tonight to say ‘how dare they.’ How dare they believe that this is a place that says that God can hate anyone. How dare they tell us who we are and whose we are and who we can believe. I am here tonight because I intend to be the Governor of a state of grace and a state of opportunity and a state of transformation.”

“HRC has done extraordinary work and what is so remarkable about this organization is how it has connected to the cause of justice across this country.”

“The LGBTQ+ community must know that when these elections happen not just their rights are on the line, but their lives are on the line. I was raised to believe that if the least of us is impacted then all of us is impacted. My parents would tell us ‘having nothing is not an excuse for doing nothing.’ Not being the target is not an excuse for being silent. We must fight for all. We must work for all. We must stand for all. In this moment we are fighting for our survival.”

Stacey Abrams

Find a key excerpt from Andre Dickens’ speech below:

Here in Atlanta we proudly say gay and lesbian and bisexual and transgender. In this town we know two things: Atlanta influences everything and Atlanta includes everybody.”

Andre Dickens, Mayor of Atlanta

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