ATLANTA – Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) unveiled the Riley Gaines Act, a priority bill for the 2025 legislative session, during a news conference at the State Capitol Tuesday.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Josh Bonner (R-Fayetteville).  

Speaker Burns said The Riley Gaines Act protects the integrity and fairness of girls’ sports by preventing biological males from competing in women’s sports.

What is the Riley Gaines Act?

What we know:

Under the Riley Gaines Act, biological males would be prohibited from competing on sports teams designated for girls and women at the K-12 and collegiate level.

Separate changing facilities, bathrooms and/or locker rooms would be required for athletic events.  

Athletic scholarships designated for women could not be awarded to biological males, and private schools that compete against public schools would be required to adhere to the standards set forth in the bill.

“This issue is simple, men don’t belong in women’s sports,” said Speaker Burns.

 “The Riley Gaines Act ensures that from now on in our state, young women who have dedicated countless hours, days, and years of their lives to become the best they can be in their sport will never be forced to face a biological male on the field, on the court, or in the locker room.”

This legislation builds off of a prior House measure which was signed into law in 2022.

House Bill 1084 requires high schools receiving state funding to refrain from participating in or sponsoring athletic events unless the associations have an executive oversight committee. 

HB 1084 also allows athletic associations to adopt policies preventing male students from competing in female-designated sports, which all member schools must follow.

Who is Riley Gaines?

The backstory:

The legislation is named after former University of Kentucky collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines.

Gaines filed suit demanding the NCAA ban transgender athletes from women’s college sports competitions after losing a race in which she competed against a transgender athlete in 2022.

What are critics saying?

Past efforts to pass similar transgender athletes bills have been met with opposition.  Democratic Senator Kim Jackson has been a vocal critic of transgender legislation.   

“I remain deeply disappointed in my colleagues for continuing to come after a vulnerable group of people,” said Jackson. “This is really just a non-issue in Georgia.  We’re not having girls pushed out, not able to play, not getting the scholarships they want because of trans girls.”