The Health Initiative today announced a rescheduling of the organization's annual Garden Party fundraiser to allow it to focus on helping LGBT Georgians navigate the new health insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment begins Oct. 1.

Linda Ellis, executive director of The Health Initiative, told GA Voice today that planning the Fall Garden Party would take away some of the organization's ability to properly address the changes.

“The work that we need to accomplish related to enrolling LGBT Georgians in the health insurance marketplace is core to who we are and what we do,” Ellis said. “It made sense to us to hold off the party and the celebration until after that work is done.”

Two weeks ago, Morrison said he was thinking of running against Alex Wan for the District 6 seat after Wan pushed for legislation that would have ousted adult businesses on Cheshire Bridge Road by 2018.

Chamique Holdsclaw, former WNBA star who played one year for the Atlanta Dream, pleaded guilty Friday to assaulting her ex-girlfriend and was sentenced to three months probation and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.

Holdsclaw pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, criminal damage in the first degree, two counts of criminal damage in the second degree and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Officer Bobby Johnson filed a complaint with the EEOC in February naming Lt. Chuck Wilson and Chief Randy Belcher for making anti-gay comments. Johnson said he was often the target of anti-gay jokes.

"The work environment became so hostile, I couldn't stand it," Johnson told the Duluth Patch.

Atlanta LGBT organizations will host a rally at the corner 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue the day of the U.S. Supreme Court issues its rulings on two gay marriage cases.

Justices heard arguments in the cases in March. Rulings will be issued before the court ends its term this month. The next time the court is scheduled to release decisions is Monday at 10 a.m.

Though the date for the gay marriage rulings is not yet known, organizers of the rally are already making arrangements.

Today, the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Houston, voted to approve a resolution showing its dismay with the recent decision by the Boy Scouts of America to allow openly gay youth members.

From the SBC website:

Augusta Pride expands this year to two days, offering an outdoor dance party the night before the fourth annual festival packs the Augusta Commons.

“Beats on Broad” debuts on Friday evening, June 21, as DJ Kaos from Club One, the popular gay nightclub in Savannah, spins from 6-11 p.m. in what organizers bill as “Augusta’s largest outdoor dance party.” Cover is $5, and some festival vendors will already be set up and open for business.

The next morning, Saturday, June 22, the Augusta Pride parade steps off at 10 a.m. to head down Broad Street to the Augusta Commons. The annual procession of decorated golf carts, trucks, floats and marchers draws crowds of cheering fans and usually a handful of anti-gay protesters.

Team Friendly Atlanta wants to start a community-wide conversation about HIV stigma in a way that's interesting — and fashionable.

The new organization that aims to dispel HIV bias is sponsoring a t-shirt design contest open to the public. Submissions for the contest begin are now through July 4. The board will select finalists and then open voting begins July 11 with the winner announded on Aug. 15.

“We wanted to bring up the topic of stigma and what causes it, why people are not disclosing their status, are not confiding in their friends, are not seeking services. This stigma has been going on as long as there has been HIV but we've not dealt with it like when it was first discovered,” said Randy Prophater, a founding member of Team Friendly Atlanta.

The U.S. Supreme Court will issue decisions this month that could change the fight for marriage equality for a generation or more.

The last scheduled session for the current Supreme Court term is June 24. At press time June 4, gay marriage supporters and opponents alike were anxiously watching the court for decisions that could impact marriage rights for same-sex couples in California and around the country.

Meanwhile, activists around the country are planning “Day of Decision” demonstrations, including a gathering scheduled for the corner of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue in Atlanta.

“Regardless of what those decisions entail, this will be a historic date for the LGBT community and will have a great impact on the ongoing struggle for equality in Georgia and around the country,” reads an open letter to the LGBT community signed by leaders of eight local LGBT and LGBT-supportive organizations.

A brawl may be brewing in the aftermath of the controversial legislation proposed by Atlanta City Councilmember Alex Wan to oust several adult businesses lining Cheshire Bridge Road.

The council rejected Wan’s proposals in a 9 to 6 vote on June 3, ending months of sometimes bitter debate between residents living in the area and those who own and work at the businesses targeted by Wan’s proposed zoning ordinances. But another battle may just be beginning.

Michael Morrison, owner of Inserection on Cheshire Bridge Road, said he is pleased with the council’s vote, but he is not confident something similar won’t come up in the near future if Wan remains on the council. So Morrison plans to run against Wan, the City Council’s only openly gay member, using his own money if nobody else throws their hat in the ring.