Georgia Commission Holds Hearing on Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports
Riley Gaines and other women testified before a Georgia special committee on Tuesday, slamming Georgia Tech and the NCAA for allowing a biological male to compete in women’s sports and change in the women’s locker room with female players.
ATLANTA — The Georgia Senate Special Committee on Protecting Women in Sports held its first hearing Tuesday.
Georgia lawmakers are examining sports policies at schools, universities and colleges.
The move is said to be an effort to ensure fairness in women’s sports.
“What we’re advocating for, what we’re trying to discuss here today, is really a pro-women message. It’s pro-equity, it’s pro-safety, it’s common sense,” Rep. Riley Gaines told reporters after the hearing.
Gaines and four other women testified at the hearing, describing the emotional pain they said they endured while competing against transgender athlete Leah Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving National Championships at Georgia Tech.
They slammed Georgia Tech and the NCAA for allowing biologically male athletes to compete in women’s sports and change in women’s locker rooms.
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 18: University of Pennsylvania swimmer Leah Thomas and University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines react after finishing tied for fifth in the 200-meter freestyle final at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022 at Macauley Aqua.
A Georgia Tech spokesperson responded to the women’s players’ comments in a written statement, saying, “As is standard practice for NCAA championships, the event is administered by the NCAA, and the school has and will continue to cooperate with the committee.”
The NCAA also released a statement saying, “The NCAA will continue to advance Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports, and ensure that all student-athletes have a fair chance to compete in all NCAA championships.”
“There’s nothing abnormal about people being who they are,” said Noelle Heatherland, spokeswoman for Georgia Equality.
She spoke out in support of transgender athletes, noting that the NCAA has updated its policies to address the controversial issue.
“There are guidelines already in place to ensure a level playing field,” Heatherland said.
Gaines said he can’t imagine a scenario in which men should compete in women’s sports.