On May 4, 2022, the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) voted 61-0-1 behind closed doors to ban transgender student athletes from K-12 sports participation. This vote came after the passage of House Bill 1084, which added trans exclusionary language to education restrictions in the final hours of Georgia’s legislative session.

Why do we oppose the GHSA’s decision to discriminate against trans student athletes? 

The trans student athletes who will be impacted by this decision are our friends. They are our classmates. They are our children. They are loved members of our communities, and of their sports teams. Participating in sports allows trans students to build relationships with their teammates, build confidence in their abilities, and build teamwork skills which will allow them to thrive alongside their peers. 

When we tell transgender girls that they can't play with the girls' team—or transgender boys that they can't play with the boys' team—they miss out on this important childhood experience and all the lessons it teaches. High school sports has and will always be a space where all athletes belong. We as students, athletes, teachers, parents, coaches, and Georgians cannot tolerate the attempts to rid this space of the inclusivity we deserve.

We believe that all children, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, deserve the same rights and privileges. It is our responsibility to stand against unjust laws plaguing our nation that target our trans friends. Now, we face an immediate urgency to act on the unnecessary, uninclusive, and bigoted policies proposed by members of the Georgia High School Association.

These policies seek to discriminate against our trans classmates through denying them participation in school activities. Rather than acknowledge the protests of Georgians, legislators baselessly undermined several existing trans-inclusive athletic bills with proven benefits to the health and wellbeing of these at-risk students. Our schools should be safe, accepting spaces where all of Georgia’s students can thrive—not where politicians target marginalized youth. 

What do we, Georgians of all walks of life, demand for our trans friends?

We demand that the GHSA’s reprehensible vote against protecting Georgia’s most vulnerable youth be overturned. We demand that the effects of HB 1084 be countered through individual counties taking steps to protect the rights, safety, and full participation of trans athletes. We demand that politicians cease their discriminatory attacks on vulnerable youth.

All our children deserve a bright future – a future that is not possible if our politicians and athletic associations discriminate against and threaten the livelihoods of those children. We, as students and parents, as LGBTQ+ folks and allies, and as Georgians, stand against HB 1084 and the Georgia High School Association’s spineless decision. Trans students deserve much better from their leaders, and we will continue to advocate and organize for the safety, dignity and full rights of LGBTQ+ youth in Georgia schools.

To get involved, please follow us on instagram at @georgia_youth_coalition and/or twitter at @georgiayouthco for more information on our upcoming rally in support of trans youth at the capitol.

IMPORTANT: If you're located in Georgia and have ties to the public school system, please fill out this google form once you sign the petition to tell GHSA why you did!

The photos are from our social media campaign featuring youth athletes in Georgia who support their trans peers and teammates! If you're a Georgia athlete who'd like to contribute to the campaign, please email Arya Duppada (aryaniduppada@gmail.com). 

The language of the petition is taken from this messaging guidance and this coalition statement.