Georgia House of Representatives Passes Bill to Ban Transgender Athletes and Separate Facilities by Sex

House Bill 267, also known as the Riley Gaines Act, was passed by the Georgia House of Representatives. The bill seeks to separate all athletic facilities by sex, effectively banning transgender athletes from areas they seek to be a part of.

The bill requires student athletes to play on teams according to their biological sex as opposed to the gender they were assigned to at birth.

 It also separates facilities like changing rooms and restrooms according to sex. Sleeping arrangements on school trips are also required to be separated on the basis of sex.

The bill does not stop at addressing school facilities, but it also seeks to replace the term “gender” with sex in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The bill also requires any collector of vital statistics throughout the state to identify people by their sex and not their gender. 

The bill is backed mostly by Republicans and is opposed by Democrats, who instead promote Senate Bill 41.

Senate Bill 41 relates to education and is aimed at providing equal athletic opportunities to public school students. 

The bill’s sponsor, Republican Representative Josh Bonner (R), believes that the bill’s purpose is to ensure fairness in school athletics. He stated, “Equal opportunity and fairness are the cornerstones of our athletics.”

HB 267 passed with a 102-54 vote total and will now move on to the senate.

Earlier this year, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) pushed back against critics that were pressing the narrative that George Republicans were actively marginalizing Transgender activists.

I don't think anybody's been trying to marginalize one group over the other. What we have been doing is trying to protect women's sports. Girl's sports has been the thing that's been under attack, and it's been pushed by your mainstream media, and they've tried to normalize something that most people have rejected," said Lt. Gov. Jones.