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JOAN GARNER
After prevailing in an August runoff election and running unopposed in the November 2nd general election, Joan Garner officially secured her spot as the first openly gay member in the history of the Fulton County Commission.
The win followed a long record of LGBT activism for Garner, who looks to continue fighting for us and her District 6 constituents for a long time to come.
How would you define your role in Atlanta’s LGBT community?
I have been out before it was in to be out, and I have been involved in everything from the United Way to the Liquor License Review Board, as well as gay organizations.
What do you forecast for Atlanta’s LGBT community in the next 5 to 10 years?
The more we are involved in civic endeavors across the board, the more we create opportunities for ourselves and for others. We need to show up for our neighborhood association meetings, for the school PTA, for the church social, to help build the new dog park, and more. Whatever it is we need to be involved and be our out selves. More and more people will begin to see that our sexual orientation and gender identity are just parts of who we are; those things do not solely define us.
We learn from all our experiences, both good and bad. Tell us about a negative life experience you’ve had that you learned a valuable lesson from.
I have experience in a number of civic settings being “the only”: The only woman, the only black person, the only out gay person. While it can sometimes be difficult being The Only, I have learned the value of being myself.
How has being LGBT shaped your outlook on life?
Being an African American Gay woman has allowed me a greater understanding of the interconnectedness of issues based on race, class, gender and sexual orientation. Sounds like a textbook answer, but it’s for real and it’s my life.
Tell us a little more about yourself. What are your hobbies? What are your goals? I like to knit. I enjoy going to the theater.
I love traveling and aspire to take a trip to New Zealand. My goals include making our communities more livable and helping to build a more inclusive, cooperative society.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what’s the one book you would want with you?
There are so many books that I love; however, in this case the complete series of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith.
