The Festival

Pronouns: He / Him / His

In 2003, Gerald Bostock was an employee of Clayton County as an official for its juvenile court system with good performance records. In early 2013, Bostock joined a gay sports team, the "Hotlanta Softball League," to prove that he could do it physically and mentally after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. At the time, Georgia had no law protecting LGBTQ+ people from employment discrimination. In April 2013, Bostock was fired for "conduct unbecoming a county employee," and believes no one should go to work fearful of losing their job because of who they love or how they identify. Shortly after, he took his case to the United States Supreme Court, proudly standing by Aimee Stephens and the Zarda family, who also tried similar cases. They all won in a 6-3 ruling. Now, we have Title VII protections for all LGBTQ+ Americans thanks to Bostock's courage, along with the aid of organizations like Georgia Equality, HRC, and the ACLU. Bostock has no regrets.