ICYMI: Georgia Gubernatorial Nominee Rick Jackson Has Ugly History of Discriminating Against LGBTQ+ Families that Seek to Foster Kids, AJC Reports

ATLANTA — A new report today from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides a disturbing look at the foster-care organization led by Rick Jackson, the Republican nominee for Georgia governor in the upcoming election. Most alarming is text on the website of the organization, FaithBridge, that explicitly makes clear that children will not be placed with LGBTQ+ families.

The AJC writes: “The agency requires prospective families to be active in a local church and adhere to traditional Christian beliefs. They require people they work with to sign and abide by their organization’s statements of morality and faith, which effectively bars placement of children with LGBTQ+ families. Their website states, ‘We believe God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of monogamous marriage between one man and one woman.’”

In response, Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President, Policy & Litigation Sharon McGowan issued the following statement:

“Preventing LGBTQ+ families from fostering children is textbook discrimination, and it’s unacceptable at a time when so many kids in Georgia desperately need placement in safe and loving homes. Rick Jackson can say whatever he likes about what kind of governor he’ll be, but his actions speak louder than words. If Rick Jackson cannot recognize that LGBTQ+ people are equally capable of parenting, he is unfit to be running an organization that is meant to serve vulnerable kids, and he’s certainly unfit to be Georgia’s next governor.”

According to the AJC’s reporting, Georgia has seen a 40% drop in licensed foster homes between 2019 and 2025, double the drop seen nationally, creating a severe shortage of available homes. The AJC also cited a Williams Institute study saying that same-sex couples are 10 times more likely to become foster parents and seven times as likely to adopt than different-sex couples.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, with 4 million members and supporters. The HRC Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) works to ensure LGBTQ+ people are safe, seen and supported where it matters most: at school, at work and in every community across the country. From the courtroom to the classroom, from Congress to corporate America, HRC and the HRC Foundation build power through partnerships, storytelling, and action—working to create a future rooted in equity, freedom and belonging for all LGBTQ+ people.