With
qualifying
now
complete,
the
July
20
primary
includes
several
gay
and
lesbian
candidates.
Some
are
political
novices
hoping
to
find
success
in
their
first
campaigns;
another
is
a
political
veteran
seeking
higher
office.
Gay
issues
are
also
certain
to
figure
prominently
in
some
campaigns
without
gay
candidates.
Southern
Voice
previews
a
handful
of
the
highest-profile
races
for
gay
and
lesbian
voters.
(Reporting
by
Ryan
Lee;
graphic
by
Joey
L.
Carolino)
This
Democratic-leaning
district
includes
the
cities
of
Avondale
Estates,
Decatur,
Chamblee,
Clarkston,
Pine
Lake
and
Stone
Mountain,
as
well
as
a
small
portion
of
Atlanta.
The
office
holder
is
traditionally
gay
friendly.
Age:
51
Political
history:
The
only
Republican
to
qualify
for
the
race,
Davis
made
an
unsuccessful
bid
for
a
state
House
seat
in
2000.
In
the
opening
paragraph
of
her
campaign
Web
site,
Davis
notes:
“That
half
of
America
wants
to
redefine
family
or
marriage
in
the
name
of
tolerance
is
a
fiction
at
best.”
Age:
68
Political
history:
A
former
CEO
of
DeKalb
County
and
county
commissioner,
Levetan
most
recently
represented
the
area
as
a
state
senator.
Levetan
has
been
a
consistent
supporter
of
gay
rights,
including
speaking
out
earlier
this
year
against
the
proposed
constitutional
amendment
to
ban
gay
marriage,
which
she
called
“codification
of
discrimination.”
Age:
49
Political
history:
McKinney
served
four
years
in
the
state
House
before
being
elected
to
Congress
in
1993.
In
the
2002
Democratic
primary,
McKinney
lost
a
heated
battle
for
re-election
to
Denise
Majette.
During
her
tenure
in
Congress,
McKinney
was
an
outspoken
gay
rights
ally,
garnering
a
100
percent
approval
rating
from
the
Washington,
D.C.-based
Human
Rights
Campaign.
Age:
51
Political
history:
A
state
senator
since
1993,
Thomas
emerged
as
one
of
the
most
outspoken
opponents
of
the
anti-gay
marriage
amendment
during
Senate
debate.
Thomas,
a
registered
nurse,
has
also
been
a
longtime
champion
of
increasing
funding
for
Georgia’s
AIDS
Drug
Assistance
Program.
Age:
25
Political
history:
Information
not
available.
Age:
46
Political
history:
Woolard
became
Georgia’s
first
openly
gay
elected
official
in
1997,
winning
a
seat
on
the
Atlanta
City
Council.
In
2001,
she
won
election
to
City
Council
president,
the
city’s
second-highest
elected
post.
Prior
to
her
years
in
city
government,
Woolard
worked
on
federal
issues
for
HRC.
Woolard’s
list
of
gay
political
achievements
is
extensive
and
includes
sponsoring
a
successful
measure
creating
the
city’s
anti-bias
ordinance
and
its
Human
Relations
Commission.
Age:
50
Political
history:
Stokes
has
served
as
a
state
senator
from
DeKalb
County
since
1994,
including
serving
as
Senate
floor
leader
for
former
Gov.
Roy
Barnes.
Although
not
as
high-profile
as
some
gay-friendly
members
of
the
General
Assembly,
Stokes
“has
been
supportive
of
us
on
every
issue
I
can
think
of,”
said
Larry
Pellegrini,
a
veteran
gay
lobbyist.
The
race
for
this
seat,
an
intown
district
that
includes
Morningside,
Ansley
Park
and
Virginia
Highlands,
pits
a
gay-friendly
incumbent
versus
an
openly
gay
challenger.
The
July
20
Democratic
primary
will
determine
the
winner
of
this
race.
Age:
64
Political
History:
Gardner
is
a
two-term
state
legislator
who
has
been
a
frequent
supporter
of
gay
rights
causes.
Age:
36
Political
history:
A
political
novice,
Wan
is
hoping
to
become
the
first
openly
gay
male,
and
the
first
Asian-American,
to
serve
in
the
General
Assembly.
As
some
of
the
battle
for
gay
rights
unfolds
in
courtrooms,
gay-friendly
judges
can
make
an
impact.
Republicans
hope
they
can
use
the
incumbent’s
support
of
gay
issues
against
her
in
what’s
billed
as
a
non-partisan
July
20
election.
Age:
48
Political
history:
Sears
has
served
on
the
state
Supreme
Court
since
1992.
She
sided
with
the
6-1
majority
that
threw
out
the
state’s
sodomy
law
in
1998,
and
wrote
a
stinging
dissent
two
years
earlier
when
the
court
upheld
the
law
in
the
case
of
a
gay
man
arrested
for
allegedly
soliciting
sodomy
at
a
rest
area.
Age:
63
Political
history:
Brantley
served
three
terms
as
a
Republican
judge
in
Cobb
County,
and
has
close
ties
to
former
Georgia
Attorney
General
Michael
Bowers,
...
Catherine
Davis
(R)
Cynthia
McKinney
(D)
Nadine
Thomas
(D)
Cathy
Woolard
(D)Name:
Cathy
Woolard
(D)
Connie
Stokes
(D)
Pat
Gardner
(D)
Alex
Wan
(D)
Leah
Ward
Sears
Grant
Brantley
