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Brian Kemp, Governor of Georgia, speaks during a meeting of the Republican Governors Association at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, on February 20, 2025.
One LGBTQ+ advocate said the new law shows how Republicans like to "play political games and bully transgender children."
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation banning transgender girls and women student-athletes from competing in sports aligned with their gender identity last month. The bill also called for bathrooms, changing and showering facilities, and dormitories to be segregated by a person’s sex assigned at birth.
Senate Bill 1, officially entitled the Riley Gaines Act of 2025, is named after the cisgender woman swimmer, a competitor of transgender woman swimmer Lia Thomas at Penn State. Gaines now advocates polices aimed at banning transgender girls and women from playing in sports aligned with their gender identity, often misgendering trans women in her talks and making transphobic remarks.
Related: Massachusetts Republican tries to ban trans athletes
The new law applies to “teams operated or sponsored by local school systems, public schools, participating private schools, and postsecondary educational institutions in this state.” It bans trans girls and women from competing in girls’ and women’s sports teams, and relegates them to changing, bathing, sleeping, and bathroom facilities aligned with their sex assigned at birth.
“As the parents of three daughters, Marty and I know just how important it is to keep our children safe and to give them the best possible start in life," Kemp said in a press release. "That's why I'm proud to sign these bills that will further safeguard our classrooms, both from those with violent intentions and from out-of-touch political agendas. Girls should not have to share a playing field, a restroom, or a locker room with boys and vice versa, and the commonsense legislation I signed today is about what is fair and safe for our children.”
Related: House passes bill banning trans women and girls from school sports
Critics disagreed with Kemp, painting the bill as discriminatory and dangerous for trans youth. Bentley Hudgins, the state director of the Human Rights Campaign, was unsparing in her criticisms of Republicans.
“Instead of addressing the real problems young women and girls face on the playing field, they chose to bully trans kids and put all girls in harm’s way,” they told the Georgia Recorder. “Their absurd attacks on kids are tired and don’t help anyone. While Republicans play political games and bully transgender children, they cannot and will not steal our joy.”
