ATLANTA — A bill that would have addressed mental health among student athletes in Georgia could now also prevent transgender athletes from competing on sports teams different than their biological sex.
The original bill dealt with mental health screenings for student athletes. But now, a state senator tacked on several other unrelated measures, including one barring transgender athletes from playing on sports teams different than their biological gender.
Now the sponsor of the original bill says he can’t support his own legislation.
Andrea Kramer is angry and so are other parents of transgender children who drove to the capitol Wednesday to protest House Bill 1104 -- not the original bill, but what the bill has become.
“To say it nicely, it was dirty and underhanded,” Kramer said.
Decatur Democrat Omari Crawford wrote the bill to help schools, coaches and parents understand mental health issues and suicide risks among student athletes.
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“That’s what I wanted this bill to do. That’s what I was excited to work on,” Crawford told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot.
But Crawford learned a lesson in hardball politics. Tuesday, state Sen. Clint Dixon took Crawford’s popular bill and tacked on several provisions that would restrict transgender athletes from playing on sports teams that are not the same as their biological sex.
It would also restrict them from using different biological sex locker rooms and restrooms.
“As far as boys playing girls sports, what it simply does is whatever you are biologically born or what’s in your birth certificate set or gender when you are born. If you’re a boy, you cannot play girl sports,” Dixon said.
Kramer is upset that there was no public hearing before this was done.
Crawford said the new addition to his original bill means he can no longer support his own legislation.
“A lot of the other provisions that have been added to the bill now essentially frustrates the purpose of why I actually wanted this bill to pass in the first place, so I cannot support that other language,” Crawford said.
The original bill passed the House overwhelmingly.
Dixon believes it still will pass again; Crawford isn’t so sure.
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