Ginn: Preserving Fairness – Girls’ Sports Deserve Protection

By: Sen. Frank Ginn (R-Danielsville)

Nothing beats the energy of a Friday night in Georgia: stands full, a band playing and a community rallying behind its team. For generations, these moments have built character in our young people and pride in our hometowns. That same pride comes from knowing every athlete competes under fair rules, and that's why I support making sure boys are not allowed to compete in girls' sports.

Over the summer, I reflected on our General Assembly's work to protect Georgia students in the classroom and on the field. As a father and public servant, I've always felt a deep responsibility to defend fair opportunities for every child. We must preserve our state's critical separation between male and female sports. That principle guided my strong support for Senate Bill 1, also known as the Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act, which is now law in Georgia.

There's a reason this was the first Senate Bill introduced in the 2025 Legislative Session. It's a critical issue for our Senate body, and we needed to act immediately. SB 1 establishes a clear and consistent standard: public schools, colleges and other institutions receiving state funding must designate athletic teams based on biological sex. Children born male cannot compete on teams designated for females. That's basic biology. In Georgia, we will not allow male athletes to use flawed gender identity ideology to disrespect the privacy and hard work of female athletes.

In our state, female athletes will always have the right to share private spaces, including locker rooms, restrooms and overnight accommodations with their peers without worrying that a male will violate their privacy. This bill also guarantees that students who have worked hard to obtain scholarships and recruitment opportunities will have a level playing field to succeed at the next level.

Whether it's high school volleyball, middle school cross country or collegiate swimming, students deserve equal opportunities to succeed. Students and parents should also rest assured that unfair physical competitive advantages will not overshadow their training, talent and determination. I'm thankful we're protecting students from Hoschton to Comer and communities in between. In Georgia, we're clearly ahead of the game in protecting all students.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of examples of where young women are losing events to transgender men with a clear biological athletic advantage. Even worse is the fact that these same men are willingly violating the privacy of these athletes and weaponizing it as a psychological advantage. I have watched heartbreaking testimonies from multiple athletes across the country who shared that they felt "exposed" and "heartbroken" to be a part of what felt like a social experiment. I'll never forget Riley Gaines' testimony when she described the "betrayal" she experienced after participating in an event at Georgia Tech. An athlete should never have to beg a university president for basic protections such as privacy and fair competition. I am thankful that similar incidents will not occur at the University of Georgia in Northeast Georgia.

Student athletes want a level playing field that includes the most basic right to private spaces designated by sex, not gender identity. Parents want their daughters and sons to compete with complete confidence that the rules are fair, the competition is honest and the accommodations protect their privacy. I am thankful that student athletes will never cross the University of Georgia off their list because we failed to recognize student athletes' fundamental right to privacy and fair competition.

This fall, Georgia's student athletes, from the volleyball court at Jefferson High School to Sanford Stadium, can expect fair, common-sense standards that uphold the integrity of competition and set all student athletes up for success. Our schools should not be forced to choose between fairness and the fear of backlash.

When I speak with students in Northeast Georgia, I see exactly how school sports teach essential qualities like perseverance, teamwork and self-discipline. Today, former student athletes like Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey are making an impact in the NFL and working with organizations like St. Jude Children's Hospital and the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). I also think of famous Georgia female student athletes like Maria Taylor, who played volleyball and basketball in Athens before blazing a path for future female sports journalists. Student athletics prepare students for challenges later in life, both on and off the field, and we must protect them at all costs.

We play to win championships in Bulldog Country, but we expect all athletes to have the same chance at success on and off the field. Our student athletes and their parents deserve our full support, and I am proud to stand beside them every week of every season this fall.

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Sen. Frank Ginn represents the 47^th Senate District, which includes Madison County and portions of Barrow, Clarke, and Jackson County. He can be reached at (404) 656-4700 or by email at [email protected].

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