US Georgia Senate passed the Riley Gaines Act of 2025, formerly the Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act, on Monday.
The legislation requires the designation of “sex-specific athletic teams,” barring males from competing in women’s sports and women from competing in men’s sports unless the team’s designation is “coed.” The legislation also replaces the term “gender,” with “sex,” and defines sex as “a student’s biological sex based exclusively on the student’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The legislation intends to safeguard the safety and fairness of sports.
Riley Gaines, a women’s rights advocate, and former collegiate athlete, gained national recognition after she and others were compelled to share a locker room with and compete against a biological male. The incident—along with many others similarly situated—unearthed a series of Title IX Civil Rights Act claims and calls for legislative, and regulatory changes around the US.
Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones spoke about the bill after it passed on Monday—issuing a celebratory statement about the protection of women’s sports.
I want to thank all of the brave women and girls who shared their personal stories and helped shape this legislation. Their courage is commendable and ensures that the rights of female athletes are preserved and protected by law. I look forward to standing with Governor Brian Kemp, Speaker Jon Burns, and female athletes with their families around the state when the “Riley Gaines Act of 2025” is signed into law.
Notably, an earlier intervention, HB1084 was passed in 2022 by Georgia lawmakers, creating an executive oversight committee to investigate and determine the necessity of barring males from participating in women’s high school athletics. Governor Kemp, in his remarks on HB1084, said, “We put students and parents first by putting woke politics out the classroom and off the ball field.” Turning to the present bill, Governor Kemp is expected to sign the Riley Gaines Act into law.
The move follows an executive order from President Trump rescinding funds for educational programs that “deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities,” by allowing males to compete in women’s sports. Meanwhile, the executive order is facing legal challenges in New Hampshire, where two transgender girls contended that the order violates the Fifth Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.