Proposed legislation in Georgia would require athletes to participate on teams that align with their biological sex at birth.
State Sen. Greg Dolezal, R–Cumming, introduced Senate Bill 1, the “Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities” Act, following the Senate Special Committee on the Protection of Women’s Sports, which Lt. Governor Burt Jones Lt. Governor Burt Jones created and appointed.
“This summer, I had the privilege of serving as Chairman of the Georgia Senate Special Committee on the Protection of Women’s Sports,” Dolezal said in a statement. “As the father of three daughters, I take this issue to heart. Female athletes have worked tirelessly to earn their place in competition, and they deserve a level playing field.
“Ideologically driven policies that undermine the fairness in women’s sports have no place in Georgia. Our committee dedicated countless hours to thoroughly studying this issue, and I’m proud to say the Majority Caucuses in both the Senate and House stand firmly united in protecting these opportunities for women and girls,” Dolezal added. “I am confident this legislation will move swiftly through the General Assembly and deliver the protection female athletes deserve.”
SB 1 would middle and high schools and colleges, including participating private schools, would be required to designate interscholastic sports teams as either male, female, or co-ed, based on the participant’s sex at birth. Any student will be allowed to participate on a male or co-ed team.
It prohibits males from participating in interscholastic and intercollegiate competitions on teams designated as female and bar females from competing on intercollegiate teams designated as male. It also requires separate restrooms and changing areas at athletic events and establishes a grievance procedure.
“Biological men do not belong in women’s sports, period,” Jones said in a statement. “This is common sense to everyone but the most radical liberals in Georgia.
“The Senate has always led the way on protecting women’s sports and with Senate Bill 1, we will continue to be on the right side of this common-sense issue,” Jones added. “I will never waver in the fight to protect our sisters and our daughters participating on equal footing in Georgia sports. I look forward to Senate Bill 1 becoming law and the protection of women’s sports becoming a reality for all female athletes in Georgia.”
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