2005 proved to be a year of hard knocks for Atlanta’s reputation as the “gay Mecca” of the South. Early in the year, the state legislature succeeded in blocking the city’s commitment to diversity by passing two laws that trumped its policies on non-discrimination and domestic partner benefits for companies seeking to do business with the city.

By late 2005, the city cited one of the laws as its reason for abandoning attempts to fine a prominent golf club for refusing to treat gay partners as spouses — the most visible gay rights case involving city policies in years.

Midtown, once hailed as the gayest area of Atlanta, continued its surrender to developers and aggressive neighborhood associations. The legendary gay nightclub Backstreet, which closed in 2004, was followed this year by another infamous gay bar, the Metro. Both were shut down by city officials after lengthy court battles over alleged liquor license violations.

And as the year drew to a close, another gay bar, the Phoenix, awaited action from the mayor on a similar order to close, while former gay hotspot the Armory closes after Dec. 31 as developers bought the property it shared with Backstreet.

Kerry Pacer, a lesbian student at White County High School, spent the year working to form a gay-straight alliance on her Cleveland, Ga., campus. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)

But even in conservative areas of the state, gay Georgians continued to make their presence known, from gay students like Kerry Pacer, who fought to create a gay-straight alliance at rural White County High School, to billboards posted throughout the state reminding viewers that “We are your neighbors.”

When the state legislature opens Jan. 9 — with rumors of attempts to ban gay adoption and a court decision on the state constitutional ban on gay marriage still pending — we’ll see if the increased visibility pays off.

JANUARY
Private golf club sues. Refusing to buckle under the city of Atlanta’s ruling that it discriminated against two gay members by not offering spousal-equivalent benefits to their domestic partners, Druid Hills Golf Club sued to keep from paying a fine of up to $90,000.

Atlanta’s Human Relations Commission found the club guilty of discrimination in 2004 and Mayor Shirley Franklin decided to penalize the club after mediation failed.

Equal benefits policy passes. The Atlanta City Council approved a “living wage” ordinance that included giving businesses vying for city contracts bonus points if they offered domestic partner benefits.

Legislature tees off. On the heels of Druid Hills Golf Club suing the city over being penalized for discriminating against gays, the Georgia Assembly rallied around the club by introducing a bill that prohibited Atlanta from punishing private groups.

State Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs) also sponsored a second piece that went after the city’s Living Wage Ordinance, which gave companies with domestic partner benefits extra points in seeking city contracts. Both passed, and Gov. Sonny Perdue signed them into law later in the year.

Marriage amendment challenged. Attorneys from the ACLU of Georgia, Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund and the law firm of Alston & Bird filed suit in Fulton Superior Court against Amendment 1, arguing it outlawed marriage and the future creation of civil unions, despite some voters having disparate views on the two forms of legal recognition for gay couples. Amendment 1 was approved by Georgia residents in 2004 with 76.2 percent of the vote. The case remained pending at year’s end.

FEBRUARY
Offensive emails sent. Former Baylor University student Matt Bass was ordered by a judge not to send any emails to administrators and faculty at his old school. Upon leaving the Baptist-affiliated Baylor, Bass enrolled at Emory University. The seminary student was accused of sending more than 1,000 explicit emails to Baylor employees and their families. According to a suit filed against Bass, the emails were sent in retaliation for the school revoking his scholarships when officials discovered Bass was gay. In July, Bass was ordered by a Texas judge to pay his former school $77,000.

Rare STD appears. Georgia health officials reported that an Atlanta man was infected with a rare from of the sexually transmitted disease lymphogranuloma vernerum. The rare form of chlamydia, which was last reported in the state in 2000, can cause permanent damage to the bowels and disfigurement of the genitals. The man was effectively treated for the disease ...

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