Macon Magazine

THIS SERGEANT KNOWS SHE CAN DO IT SERGEANT ANNA LANGE'S JOURNEY HAS TAKEN HER FROM A LONG CAREER BEHIND THE SCENES IN PUBLIC SERVICE TO BECOMING ONE OF THE MAJOR FACES FIGHTING FOR LGBTQ+ RIGHTS IN THE SOUTH. HER CASE ILLUSTRATES HOW GAPS IN EQUITY FOR WOMEN AND GENDER MINORITIES IMPACT LIFE AND WORK. BY JULIA MORRISON | PHOTOGRAPHY BY DSTO MOORE A NNA LANGE HAS BEEN A DEPUTY with the Houston County Sheriff's Department for over 15 years, but she resists the tough stereotypes of law enforcement officers. During her interview, she was picking up a new puppy to bring home. She said the best part of her job as a sergeant, in which she is o en investigating financial abuse against elders and vulnerable citizens, is assisting people without a voice who are unable to help themselves. A LOCAL FIGHT ENTERS A NATIONWIDE FIRESTORM And in her journey becoming an icon for LGBTQ+ workplace rights on a national stage, she's not afraid to admit vulnerability: "It terrifies you, being who you're meant to be." From right here in Central Georgia, Lange represents the firestorm that has swirled nationally around gender, sexuality, and gender identity, one that has particularly affected transgender people. For several years, Lange has been engaged in a lawsuit against Houston County to cover the cost of her gender affirmation surgery, one that the county has spent almost $1.2 million dollars in legal fees to fight through the end of 2022, according to ProPublica. This figure is more than the entire yearly healthcare budget for all Houston County employees. Adding healthcare coverage for gender affirmation on their plan would have cost the county an estimated $10,000 per year and was recommended by the insurer, while Lange's specific surgery would have likely cost $25,000. Houston County citizen and Mercer University law student Julian Santos was struck by the cost the county was willing to pay to fight this multi-year lawsuit at a March 2023 Board of Commissioners meeting, stating, "To put this number in perspective, Sergeant Lange's surgery … could have been paid more than 50 times." In 2022, the Human Rights Commission observed that 315 anti-LGBTQ+ laws were introduced in statehouses around the country and 29 were signed into law, the worst year ever for this form of legislation in American history. 24 bills in states that enacted protections for gender identity and sexuality were passed last year, representing the polarized climate on this issue. 78 maconmagazine.com | APRIL/MAY 2023

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