Georgia Senate sends bill to ban trans girls from playing girls’ school sports to governor

Chairman Josh Bonner, R-Fayetteville, introduces the Riley Gaines Act, which every member of the Georgia House Republican Caucus has signed onto, during a press conference in the Georgia State Capitol Rotunda, Tuesday, February 4, 2025. Bonner ended up carrying the Senate version of the bill in the House. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

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A bill banning transgender girls from playing school sports in girls’ athletics competition is on the way to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk after passing both chambers on mostly party lines Monday.

If it receives Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature, Senate Bill 1 will require all schools from elementary through college to designate teams as male, female and co-ed based on sex at birth and ban those assigned male at birth from playing on female teams. It also restricts access to facilities like restrooms, locker rooms and sleeping quarters during athletic events.

“This legislation does not target individuals, it targets inequities,” said Homer Republican Rep. Chris Erwin, who chairs the House Education Committee. “It safeguards the decades of progress made in women’s athletics by reaffirming the state’s interest in promoting equal opportunity and preventing unfair advantages.”