(The Center Square) – The Georgia House of Representatives passed the Riley Gaines Act 102-54 that would ban males from competing in women’s sports and change the word “gender” to “sex” in Georgia’s code.
House Bill 267 is similar to Senate Bill 1, which passed in its chamber, but goes further and includes changes to the Georgia code that could affect things outside of athletics.
The change from “gender” to “sex” included in the bill will affect a long list of state functions, including patient record systems and the list of registered voters.
The bill also defines “father” as a parent of the male sex and “mother” as a parent of the female sex. Males are defined as individuals who have “the reproductive system capable of the generation, migration, and utilization of sperm for fertilization, or would have such capabilities but for a developmental or genetic anomaly or historical accident.”
A female is “an individual who has, had, or will have the reproductive system capable of the generation, migration, and utilization of eggs for fertilization, or would have such capabilities but for a developmental or genetic anomaly or historical accident,” according to the bill.
Another provision of the bill would allow the Professional Standards Commission, which oversees certification and professional conduct for certified personnel in Georgia’s schools, to fine anyone who violates the provisions of the bill regarding athletics after an investigation. The fines are a minimum of $1,000 and could be levied on principals, superintendents and others who supervised the athletic event.
The bill was written with the assistance of Frontline Policy Action, an organization that identifies itself on its website as “Raising a Biblical Standard for Georgia and Our Nation.”
Gaines testified in support of the bill named after her last week.
Democrats called the bill a “manufactured crisis” that has nothing to do with sports.
“It is a calculated, dangerous, deeply discriminatory piece of legislation that goes far beyond the realm of athletics,” said Rep. Karla Drenner, D-Avondale Estates. “This bill was nothing less than an attempt to erase transgender Georgians from public life.”
House Speaker Jon Burns praised the passage of the bill.
“Today, the Georgia House affirmed our commitment to protecting integrity and fairness for female athletes with the passage of the Riley Gaines Act,” Burns said. “No young woman should ever be forced to face a biological male on the court, on the field or in the locker room – and I’m proud of this legislation that brings us another step closer to codifying protections for girls’ sports.”
