Georgia Holds Hearings to Exclude Trans Women From Sports
Georgia holds special hearings to talk about excluding trans women from sports, ft. Riley Gaines & Alliance Defending Freedom.
by Mira Lazine
On October 15, the state of Georgia held their second hearing for the recently-formed state Senatorial Committee, the Special Committee on Protecting Women’s Sports. Assembled by Lt. Governor Burt Jones, the committee’s main purpose was to attack trans women’s inclusion in women’s sports.
“I created this committee to investigate policies athletic associations, schools, colleges, and universities have implemented regarding the protection of women’s sports,” said Jones in a press release announcing this committee. “I look forward to working with Chairman Dolezal and all appointees to ensure that in Georgia, female athletes have the opportunity to compete solely against other women, at all levels.”
Led by Sen. Greg Dolezal (R), the committee consists of five other Republican Senators and two Democrats, including Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R), Sen. Clint Dixon (R), Sen. Bo Hatchett (R), Sen. Billy Hickman (R), Sen. Blake Tillery (R), Sen. Freddie Powell Sims (D) and Sen. Sheikh Rahman (D). Notably, Sims is the only woman on the committee.
The members of the committee were carefully chosen to align with anti-trans goals. Dolezal, in a statement released shortly after Jones’ announcement, was quoted as saying, “Biological males competing in women’s sports presents a clear and present danger to the physical safety of the athletes and the integrity of women’s athletics.” He has previously authored bills pushing for book bans in school libraries.
Other members of the committee have similarly-checkered pasts. Anavitarte backed bills opposing trans women in sports back in 2021, Dixon backed anti-trans bills earlier this year, Hatchett has backed bans on gender affirming care for youth, while both Hickman and Tillery sponsored another, similar bill. Sims and Rahman are the only two who have backed trans rights in the past - but they are heavily outnumbered.
There have been two committee hearings thus far, with two more to come until the committee’s dissolution in December. The first, held on August 27, featured fifth place swimmer and anti-trans activist Riley Gaines. Gaines, for her testimony, recited a letter she wrote to the President of Georgia Tech, Angel Cabrera. The letter featured disturbing content, including detailed mentions of trans swimmer Lia Thomas’ genitals, which will not be reprinted here. The core of her letter was her implying that either Thomas or random trans women on the street are sexual predators out to get her.
“Why didn't you protect me? There are images in my mind that I can't erase. I wish that I could erase these images that day after day, make me feel less safe as a woman. They repeat in my mind late at night when I'm alone, when I'm walking a city street by myself at night. Whenever I feel vulnerable, those images come back,” she said.
Other colleagues of Gaines, who also competed as swimmers, appeared at the hearing, misgendering and deadnaming Thomas while spreading the myth that trans women are innately better than cisgender women at sports.
The October 15 hearing, however, stands out more than the first one. This hearing featured speakers Erica Steinmiller-Perdomo and Rachel Rouleau with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a far right, anti-LGBTQ+ hate group that has played a key role in getting anti-trans bills passed across the country.
The committee likely does not act solely because of Jones, according to local activists who spoke to Assigned Media and asked to be made anonymous out of fear of persecution. The nonprofit group Frontline Policy Action, a former affiliate of the Family Policy Alliance, has been extremely active in campaigning against transgender rights at the state level, alongside its sister organization Frontline Policy Council. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “representatives of the groups have been fixtures at the state Capitol since then.”
Indeed, the SPLC has revealed that they have been tied to numerous anti-trans bills across the state, often hinting at their involvement in getting some of these bills passed. They have lobbied directly to the Governor, Brian Kemp, even amidst concerns that their lobbyists failed to properly file with the federal government thus making their actions illegal. Political aides with Kemp even work with Frontline, while the group has run political ads in favor of Kemp’s political campaigns.
Frontline has not made secret their advocacy for trans exclusion from sports. Once the committee sessions conclude, the group has made it clear on their policy website that they have a “2025 agenda,” which includes a proposed bill entitled the “Riley Gaines Act” that seeks to ban trans women from sports, alongside other anti-trans bills like the Georgia Fundamental Definitions Act and the Vulnerable Child Protection Act. The President of the nonprofit, Cole Muzio, has said on X that “@FrontlineGA is coming back for [trans sports bans] and more in 2025. The insane gender ideology crowd is waging war on our girls and on common sense. It’s time our state make it stop.”
Astute readers will note the similarities between these policies and the Heritage Foundation-backed far right megaplan Project 2025. This is intentional - according to Mapping Project 2025, an independent project meant to map out the relationships between different organizations and Project 2025, Frontline is a member of the Project 2025 advisory board.
Mapping Project 2025 reveals that Frontline has received over $20,000 in grants from the ADF. This is because the two groups are “partners,” by Frontline’s own admission, having worked on several far-right advocacy projects together. It should also be mentioned that Frontline met with Gaines the day of the August hearing, according to their own social media posts. Said posts also reveal their strong support for the committee.
It must be clarified that there is no formal link between Frontline and the committee - they have not claimed any actions for themselves publicly, and they have not stated any involvement in the matter. Frontline has not responded to a request for comment regarding their alleged involvement.
Nevertheless, there are clear links between the far right and anti-trans advocacy in Georgia. It is time for a bigger spotlight to be placed on actions within the state. These hearings will play an instrumental role in determining trans rights within the state. Frontline, and by extension Project 2025, are actively working right now to implement far-right policies across the United States. Only by talking about this can we begin to bring about change.
Mira Lazine is a freelance journalist covering transgender issues, politics, and science. She can be found on Twitter, Mastodon, and BlueSky, @MiraLazine