ATLANTA — Georgia is one step closer to banning transgender girls from playing girls’ sports. The House and Senate both approved the bill on Monday.
The bill puts that ban into Georgia law.
Democrats point to the fact that there are no transgender female athletes in Georgia public schools and universities, so this bill does nothing. Republicans say they want to stop it before it starts.
The vote came only after passionate debate from Democrats trying to block it.
Chamblee Democrat Karen Lupton pointed out that no major sports organization supported the bill.
“Not a single coach, not a single athletic organization, not a one. Zero. Which incidentally is the amount of transgender students competing in K-12 sports in Georgia,” Lupton said.
Fayetteville Republican Josh Bonner carried the bill in the House.
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“The bill before us today provides an opportunity to provide a level playing field and ensure fair competition for female athletes in Georgia,” Bonner said.
Bonner brushed aside Democratic criticism of the bill, acknowledging there were no cases of transgender girls playing girls’ sports in Georgia, but he said that wasn’t the point.
“We know that this is an issue that’s got to be addressed, and our goal in Georgia is to address it before it becomes a significant issue,” Bonner said.
Jeff Graham of Georgia Equality insists the bill will hurt cis-gender girls more than anyone else - girls who are taller or more athletic than other girls because, he says, under this law, they’ll have to prove they’re girls.
“We will see female athletes having to defend their sex, having to prove their sex,” Graham said.
With that, Graham said it will require birth certificates, confidential medical records, or a body check in a locker room.
The bill now goes to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
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