Sam Park - Georgia’s First Openly Gay State Representative, House District 101
Photographed by Kenedee Hodges
Sam Park is pictured on the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol building in Atlanta.
In this episode, we hear from Sam Park, who is both the first Asian-American Democrat and the first openly gay (male) lawmaker to serve in the Georgia State Legislature. The grandson of refugees and the son of Korean immigrants, Sam has been a powerful voice for Georgia’s Asian-American community, and an affordable healthcare advocate for all Georgians. In addition to his legislative duties, Sam serves as general counsel for Positive Impact Health Centers, which works to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Georgia.
Out Down South is brought to you by the Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project and part of the WUSSY Podcast Network.
Hosted by Rachel Garbus (@goodgraciousrachel) and Sam Landis (@iam_samlandis).
Produced by Sam Landis, Rachel Garbus, and Jon Dean (@jondeanphoto)
Edited by Jonathan Thomas Maiocco (@jonathanthomasmaiocco) , who also created the podcast’s new thematic music.
Podcast graphics created by Sam Landis.
Photographed by Kenedee Hodges - Sam Park is pictured on the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol building in Atlanta.
Project graphic design & social support: Amanda Killian
Project interns: Alyssa Zhang, Alex Campo, and Hunter Buchheit.
The podcast is funded by a Georgia Humanities grant and individual gifts from LGBTQ+ history-lovers like you. If you would like to support the project, you can by visiting: atlantalgbtqhistoryproject.org/donate
Stay up to date with the Out Down South Podcast and Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project on social: instagram.com/atllgbtqhisproj/ or @atllgbtqhisproj on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
About the Project:
The Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project is a multimedia initiative to gather, share, and preserve the history and life stories of LGBTQ+ communities in Georgia and across the Southeast. Through oral history, photography, and archival materials, we bring the voices and stories of LGBTQ+ Atlantans to life.
Explore the project through museum exhibitions, the Out Down South podcast, live and virtual panel series, and online materials. All project materials are archived at Georgia State University Library’s Special Collection & Archives.
Learn more by visiting: atlantalgbtqhistoryproject.org
We are grateful for the partners of the podcast and project: WussyMag, Out Front Theatre Company, and the special collections and archives at Georgia State University Library where all of the oral histories from this project will be archived.
You can find the full show notes and the podcast transcription at atlantalgbtqhistoryproject.org/out-down-south-episodes/sam-park