ATLANTA — The Georgia State Senate is scheduled to vote on Thursday on a bill that would ban transgender students from participating in girls’ sports.
The Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act was introduced as a priority for lawmakers heading into the legislative session.
The bill, which is backed by Senator Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming) would require middle schools, high schools and colleges would be required to designate sports teams as male, female or co-ed based on a player’s assigned sex at birth.
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Those assigned male at birth would not be allowed to play on a female team. Any student would be allowed to play on a male or co-ed team.
“Biological men do not belong in women’s sports, period,” said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. “This is common sense to everyone but the most radical liberals in Georgia.”
Earlier this week, Republican House Speaker Jon Burns introduced a similar bill making its way through the State House of Representatives.
Burns’ bill would also ban transgender girls from girls’ locker rooms.
RELATED STORIES:
- House speaker introduces bill to ban transgender girls from school sports, locker rooms
- State Republicans take first step toward banning transgender women from women’s sports
- Lt. Gov. announces support for GA Senate recommendations to bar biological men from women’s sports
- State Senate passes bill restricting what sports transgender students can play
Both bills come despite there being no confirmed reports of transgender girls trying to compete in girls sports anywhere in Georgia.
But some Georgia Republicans say that’s not the point.
“How many incidents? What is our threshold? Do we want any young girl in the state of Georgia to be harmed because they were competing against a biological male?” Rep. Josh Bonner (R-Fayetteville) said.
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