In 2004, a group of concerned Athens citizens formed Northeast Georgians Against Discrimination as the Athens-area arm of the campaign to defeat the state constitutional amendment against gay unions. While supporters of the amendment claimed that it was only a prohibition on gay marriages, the language of the amendment actually sought to constitutionally codify not only a ban on same-sex marriage but also all civil unions and domestic partnerships. Worse, the amendment will likely prevent gay people and their families from having any of the benefits that married heterosexual people have, such as the ability to have family health insurance, to visit one another freely in hospitals, to inherit property, and to make health care decisions for one another. During 2004, over 300 Athenians gave their time and money to NEGAD to help fight against the amendment, and NEGAD volunteers knocked on over 3,000 doors in Athens-Clarke County to educate registered voters about the amendment.

This hard work and dedication paid off. Although the amendment passed statewide, it was nearly defeated in Athens-Clarke County, which had the highest NO vote percentage of any county in Georgia. Half of the county's commission districts and state House districts voted to defeat the amendment. The people of Athens showed that they know that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is just wrong, and that they don't want to see people hurt by arbitrary government restrictions.

NEGAD volunteers and supporters shared the belief that anti-gay, anti-family measures like Amendment One weaken stable communities, alienate individuals and less-traditional families, and threaten core American beliefs that businesses have the right to offer competitive employment contracts and individuals have the right to be left alone. Fortunately, most Athens area voters realized that the amendment, in addition to harming gay and lesbian people in our community, also severely harmed their children, siblings, parents, grandparents, and friends. For a gay or lesbian adult, the impact might be losing a job or being denied visitation to a loved one in an emergency medical situation. For a child of gay parents, the impact might be being denied medical coverage for not having a legal tie to the parent who has benefits, or being denied child support payments or inheritance rights.

Following the 2004 election season, NEGAD changed its name to Just Equal, a name that reflects its members' dedication to establishing equal rights for LGBT persons, no less and no more. Just Equal supporters work to promote important values, including decency, fairness and family stability, by:

• Ensuring basic protections and defending the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (lgbt) individuals and families
• Promoting the virtues of diversity and combating the ills of discrimination
• Informing voters about current and future measures that threaten individual rights and the stability of families