Trump signs order banning trans athletes in women’s sports as Georgia debates state limits

Both Jones and Burns are promoting their own transgender restrictions, which they say they’re backing to enshrine the limits in state law.

“We want to put it in the statute and move on,” Jones said in an interview. “The executive order is only as good as the person who is holding office at that point in time.”

The Senate is set to vote Thursday on a Jones-backed bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports at every level. Burns this week unveiled similar legislation.

Republicans have made the measures a priority this session, and it’s likely the bans could be among the first bills sent to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature this year. There are no known instances in Georgia of transgender girls or women attempting to play sports on public school-sponsored female teams.

Jones created a special committee to study the issue last year, and Burns held a news conference this week that featured Riley Gaines, the former Kentucky swimmer who has helped rally opposition to transgender participation in women’s sports. Burns named his version the “Riley Gaines Act” after the athlete.

Some Republicans want to enact further restrictions. The Georgia Senate is considering a separate bill, also backed by Jones, that would block the state health insurance plan from covering gender-affirming care. It’s not clear whether Burns will support that push in the House, as he’s said he wants a “narrow” focus on sports legislation.

Trump’s ban orders federal agencies to reinterpret Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs, to prohibit transgender girls from competing in any school-sponsored athletic events for women. And it threatens to deny federal funding to schools that flout the order.

The president used cutting terms for transgender athletes during his signing ceremony, saying they had “invaded” competitions and were to blame for “stolen” victories. The order, he added, was “common sense.”

He was applauded by hundreds of Republican officials who packed the White House. The crowd included U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome and dozens of other congressional Republicans. After it was signed, a martial band played Cindi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” as the crowd milled about.

Supporters say the transgender measures are designed to save taxpayer dollars, protect young women and answer voter demands. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll published earlier this month showed roughly 60% of Georgia voters strongly favor restricting transgender athletes.

Critics of the bans say they are discriminatory and note that transgender athletes are rare in sports at all levels. They say misinformation has fueled the debate, creating a solution in search of a problem.

State Sen. Kim Jackson, the first openly gay senator elected to the Legislature, this week introduced a separate measure calling for funding equity in girls’ sports to contrast with the GOP support for new bans.

The Democrat said lawmakers should focus on fairness and safety rather than send a message to “trans kids that we’re afraid of them, that we don’t want them in the same locker room.”

But she also acknowledged that some Democrats, including several members of her party’s caucus, have said they’ll vote for the new limits.

“I think we’ll get there. But for now, I’ve got great patience. We have to remember Democrats didn’t all support gay marriage initially,” she said. “We’ve been here before, and I really do believe that 20 years from now we won’t be having this conversation.”