Karla Drenner

Karla DrennerKarla L. Drenner is a lead professor in the Public Administration department at Kaplan University. Her research focuses on women in public service, religion and politics and social equity issues. She is in her 9th term serving in the Georgia House of Representatives and sits on five legislative committees including: Rules; Health and Human Services; Natural Resources and the Environment; Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications; and, Small Business Development. She was elected as the first openly gay legislator in the southeast and through this book seeks to share her first-hand experience of the legislative process and the importance of bridging the divides between our differences. She has written a book titled: One: The True Story of Politics, Prayer, and the Power of One in which she discussed her experiences. Her leadership, courageousness, and compassion for equality has earned her recognition from numerous organizations such as: National Foundation for Women Legislators, Women of Excellence Award; the Dan Bradley Humanitarian Award from the Human Rights Campaign; Legislator of the Year by the Southeast Association of Telecommunications, Nine-time winner of the Georgia League of Conservation Voters’ Environmental Leadership Award; the “Legislative Service Award” from the Georgia Opticians Association for her work on improving the education requirements for opticians; the “Voices of Note Award” from the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus; she has been named a “Diva for Life” by Business-to-Business magazine; the Advocate named her a “Ballotbox Trailblazer;” and she received the “Legislator of the Year” from the Organization of DeKalb Educators; Georgia Psychological Association honoured her for her “LGBT Advocacy” along with Stonewall Bar Association who presented her with the “Courageous Service Award. And from Georgia Equality she was named “Champion for Equality.” Other honours’ include “Excellence in Partnership Award” from the Community Action Program, for her work on refugee microenterprise initiatives and the AIDS Survival Project named her a “Legislative Hero” for her efforts in combatting AIDS.

Publications

Faith-Based Influences on Legislative Decision Making: Emerging Research and Opportunities
Faith-Based Influences on Legislative Decision Making: Emerging Research and Opportunities
Karla L. Drenner. © 2022. 353 pages.
In recent years, state legislatures in the United States have been transformed based on the social identities of their membership. At its most fundamental level, the debate over...
Public Accommodations: Discrimination and Sexual Orientation
Public Accommodations: Discrimination and Sexual Orientation
Karla L. Drenner. © 2022. 21 pages.
The chapter examines potential issues posed by the wide variety of state public accommodation statutes in the context of sexual orientation and religious freedom. The historical...
The Future of LGBT Politics
The Future of LGBT Politics
Karla L. Drenner. © 2022. 9 pages.
This chapter summarizes the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in national policymaking. In the United States there exists a nationally shared set of beliefs, values, and customs, or...
Social Change: The Power of Place
Social Change: The Power of Place
Karla L. Drenner. © 2022. 26 pages.
The differences between states and within states are profound, and while that has long been true, it is much more consequential to LGBT individuals since the legalization of...
The Implications of Religious Liberty
The Implications of Religious Liberty
Karla Drenner. © 2021. 14 pages.
The political terrain surrounding the legalization of same-sex marriage and the need to accommodate individual's faith based objections have been part of the public...
The Use of Faith in Legislative Decision-Making: Bill Sponsorship
The Use of Faith in Legislative Decision-Making: Bill Sponsorship
Karla Drenner. © 2021. 21 pages.
In recent decades, same-sex marriage has emerged as a national political issue. As a result, state legislators have sponsored and passed statutes on an array of issues directly...
Introduction to Faith in State Legislatures
Introduction to Faith in State Legislatures
Karla Drenner. © 2020. 17 pages.
This chapter introduces the complex history of the relationships among faith, politics and culture in state legislatures. Each of these concepts is explored by organizing them...
Social Jurisprudence in the Changing of Social Norms: Emerging Research and Opportunities
Social Jurisprudence in the Changing of Social Norms: Emerging Research and Opportunities
Karla L. Drenner. © 2019. 174 pages.
Equality is often trampled on by those who believe they are, in varying ways, superior. However, identifying how government systems can protect against discrimination can assist...
Tackling Climate Change through Educational Awareness: A Case Study on Georgia House Resolution 689
Tackling Climate Change through Educational Awareness: A Case Study on Georgia House Resolution 689
Karla Drenner. © 2017. 11 pages.
Utilizing renewable energy systems as an educational tool for students creates not only a source for clean energy; it also provides a tangible way to increase their knowledge...
Impacts of Faith-Based Decision Making on the Individual-Level Legislative Process: Emerging Research and Opportunities
Impacts of Faith-Based Decision Making on the Individual-Level Legislative Process: Emerging Research and Opportunities
Karla Drenner. © 2017. 186 pages.
Increased diversity and shifting social identities have created significant effects on contemporary legislative systems. These shifts have altered how legislative bodies conduct...
Tackling Climate Change through Educational Awareness: A Case Study on Georgia House Resolution 689
Tackling Climate Change through Educational Awareness: A Case Study on Georgia House Resolution 689
Karla Drenner. © 2016. 12 pages.
Utilizing renewable energy systems as an educational tool for students creates not only a source for clean energy; it also provides a tangible way to increase their knowledge...