Georgia high school athletic group bans transgender athletes

ATLANTA (AP) — The main athletic association for Georgia high schools voted Wednesday to ban transgender boys and girls from playing on the school sports teams matching their gender identity, saying instead that students must play on teams that match the sex listed on their birth certificates at birth.

The Georgia High School Association's executive committee, meeting in Thomaston, voted unanimously for the change. It will take effect for the next school year, spokesperson Steve Figueroa said.

Proponents of the ban say transgender girls have an unfair advantage because they were born as stronger males and warn that those born as girls could be denied places on the team or on the podium if playing against transgender girls.

“Everyone should have an opportunity to participate, but the field of play should be fair,” said Cole Muzio, president of the conservative Frontline Policy Council, which lobbied for the action. “GHSA's action today recognizes science, reflects reality and restores fairness.”

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, running for reelection, embraced a ban. When he signed a bill last week reiterating GHSA's power to ban transgender athletes, Kemp said he wanted to “protect fairness in school sports.”

Opponents said excluding transgender children would send a harmful message to a group that's already vulnerable to suicide or harming themselves.

“To these very vulnerable trans kids who do appear to have substantial mental health issues, they will receive this as a message of rejection," said state Sen. Sally Harrell, an Atlanta Democrat and the mother of a transgender child.

At least 12 Republican-led states have passed laws banning transgender women or girls in sports. Other GOP-led states are considering such bans. Some other states, such as Texas, have banned...