April 25, 2024
The Georgia High School Association’s executive committee has voted unanimously to make sure girls participating in sports are protected from biological males competing against them.
The vote follows passage and signing of HB 1084 (which bans the teaching of divisive concepts in public schools). This bill was sponsored by Rep. Josh Bonner and was amended this session by the Georgia House of Representatives to include language that would address the concerns of protecting girls’ sports by prohibiting biological males from competing in girls’ athletic events.
The amendment gave the Georgia High School Association authority to designate athletic competitions on the basis of gender and protect girls’ sports. GHSA’s executive committee voted 62-0 to add the requirement as advised in HB 1084.
Governor Brian Kemp in a Tweet yesterday stated: “Following my signature on HB 1084, the Georgia High School Association today voted to protect fairness in school sports by unanimously approving youth to compete according to the sex determined on his/her birth certificate. I'm proud to have championed this effort in Georgia!”
GHSA Executive Director, Robin Hines was quoted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as supporting the executive committee’s decision when he said, “What they voted on was that the sex on the birth certificate is what will be used for competition,” and he further stated, “It was unanimous.”.
There are several factual reasons why this kind of policy is needed and should be supported by our citizens:
The Biblical Perspective: According to Genesis 1:27, everyone is created either male or female in the Image of God. Everyone is created special and unique and loved by God. Therefore, everyone is to be respected and appreciated from this godly point of view.
The Common Sense Perspective: It just makes sense that biological males should compete in sporting events against biological males and biological females should compete in sporting events against biological females. Just the very nature of who they are at birth puts them naturally into one of two gender categories. No matter what emotional, physical, or medical attempts are made to change one’s gender, 400 years from now if they are removed from their grave their DNA will be the same as they were at birth.
The Fairness Perspective: It is simply not fair for girls to be forced to compete against those that they physically are not equal to. It is a fact that males naturally have greater muscle mass and bone density, higher lung capacity, and larger hearts than women. It is also not fair that girls be discriminated against by being denied college scholarships and recognition for holding sporting event records because biological males are allowed to compete against them.
Furthermore, Georgia Baptists adopted a resolution in the 2021 state convention, entitled: “Resolution On Protecting Girls Sports” based upon the facts just stated above.
Georgia Baptists have lobbied at the State Capitol for this kind of important policy for the last two years. Now, we can all be thankful that it is going into practice!
