House adopts Riley Gaines Act limiting participation in female sports; bill draws hours of debate

The Georgia House passed Senate Bill 1 — the measure described in debate as the Riley Gaines Act — after several hours of discussion and questions from members on both sides of the chamber. Representative Bonner, who carried the bill on the floor, framed it as “a narrowly tailored common sense bill” intended to “maintain fairness in female athletics.”

The bill would require public and participating private schools and postsecondary institutions to designate teams as male, female or coed based on biological sex and prohibits males from competing on female teams, with limited exceptions where no female team exists. Representative Bonner told colleagues that the measure “provides an opportunity to provide a level playing field and ensure fair competition for female athletes in Georgia.”

Opponents said the bill would harm transgender students, invite harassment and expose school systems to litigation. Representative Jasmine Clark said the measure is “a license to harass, to bully, and to harm,” recounting incidents she said showed how policies policing appearance can lead to abusive encounters. Representative Eric Bell argued the bill “solves no problems because no problem exists,” citing the Georgia High School Association’s existing rules and saying there were no transgender athletes in Georgia public schools at the time of debate.

Other speakers raised related concerns: Representative Karen Lupton pointed to the range of groups testifying for and against the bill and said she had not seen widespread coach or school support for the measure; Representative Webb Park urged colleagues to consider the bill’s impact on the least vulnerable and warned of increased litigation; Representative Wilkerson and others raised questions about how sex verification would be handled in locker rooms and during competitions.

After committee steps on a committee substitute were adopted on the floor, the House voted to pass the bill. The clerk announced the tally: yays 100, nays 64. The bill will proceed to the next steps in the legislative process.

Reaction and next steps: supporters said the bill reaffirms protections for female athletes; opponents argued it duplicates existing policies, risks litigation and endangers students. Members asked for technical clarifications during debate about verification procedures and appeals; the bill’s final text incorporates committee-substitute language described by the sponsor during floor remarks.