Burt Jones stood with President Donald Trump in Washington as he signed an executive order intended to prevent transgender athletes from competing in women's sports, he returned to Georgia where state Senate Republicans made a similar move. The Senate advanced a bill that would prevent K and college students from competing in sports designated for the opposite sex. Most Republican states already have a similar ban.
The bill would also require people to use changing areas, locker rooms and sleeping quarters according to their sex assigned at birth. It passed , with support from two Democrats. The issue is a top priority for Georgia Republicans this session and for conservatives nationwide.
Since returning to office, Trump issued a slew of executive orders targeting transgender people. Greg Dolezal of Cumming, who sponsored the bill. Opponents say there are very few examples of transgender women competing in men's school sports, which is already banned by the Georgia High School Association. Senate Minority whip Kim Jackson, a Stone Mountain Democrat who is openly lesbian, said she worries that some young cisgender women may have to "prove whether they are in fact girls.
Freddie Powell Sims turned down the idea. Dolezal said the amendment came up at the last minute. He also said Democrats were out of touch with their voters' views on regulating transgender students in sports. Sims would not say why she voted for the bill, but she wishes lawmakers spent less time on it. She said she and her south Georgia constituents are more concerned about issues such as health care and education.
Jones joined Trump in Washington ahead of his expected gubernatorial run. He also introduced legislation he calls a state-level version of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency aimed to cut back on government regulation. Another bill sponsored by Sen. Carr settled with state employees and a child who wanted state health coverage to cover transgender care. The bill would prevent state funds from covering gender-affirming care.
