Opponents said excluding transgender children would send a harmful message to a group that's already vulnerable to suicide or harming themselves. When he signed a bill last week reiterating GHSA's power to ban transgender athletes, Kemp said he wanted to 'protect fairness in school sports.'
Brian Kemp, running for reelection, embraced a ban. 'GHSA's action today recognizes science, reflects reality and restores fairness.' 'Everyone should have an opportunity to participate, but the field of play should be fair,' said Cole Muzio, president of the conservative Frontline Policy Council, which lobbied for the action. Proponents of the ban say transgender girls have an unfair advantage because they were born as stronger males and warn that those born as girls could be denied places on the team or on the podium if playing against transgender girls. It will take effect for the next school year, spokesperson Steve Figueroa said. The Georgia High School Association's executive committee, meeting in Thomaston, voted unanimously for the change. ATLANTA - The main athletic association for Georgia high schools voted Wednesday to ban transgender boys and girls from playing on the school sports teams matching their gender identity, saying instead that students must play on teams that match the sex listed on their birth certificates at birth.
