ATLANTA, GA — Today, Independent Women applauds the Georgia General Assembly for passing The Riley Gaines Act of 2025 (Senate Bill 1), inspired by Independent Women’s Stand with Women model legislation. Passing with bipartisan support, the legislation fortifies definitions of ‘female’ and ‘male’ terms in law and safeguards the existence of single-sex spaces and opportunities—including athletics, living facilities, locker rooms, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, restrooms, and other areas where biology, safety, or privacy are implicated.
Once signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp, SB 1 will:
- Define common sex-based terms, such as ‘female,’ ‘male,’ ‘woman,’ and ‘man’;
- Protect single-sex spaces; and,
- Protect women’s sports for female athletes, including all collegiate athletes.
Earlier this year, Riley Gaines, urged Georgia leaders to take swift action to define and codify sex-based terms in Georgia law and protect collegiate athletes.
The legislation further builds upon federal momentum on this issue, including President Trump’s executive order to define ‘woman,’ and to keep women’s sports female.
“Independent Women thanks Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, Speaker Jon Burns, and Senator Greg Dolezal for their hard work to ensure this legislation passed. We are grateful to the many other legislators and coalition partners, including Alliance Defending Freedom and Frontline Policy Action, that helped ensure Georgia’s laws reflect biological reality and protect women’s sports and spaces. We look forward to Governor Kemp signing the Riley Gaines Act of 2025 into law soon and continuing the sweeping momentum of states who are taking decisive action to codify sex-definitions and protect women’s rights,” said Beth Parlato, senior legal advisor at Independent Women.
“Today, the Georgia General Assembly made a historic step toward achieving a critical goal for this session, the protection of women’s sports,” said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. “Since I took office in 2023 as Lt. Governor, the Senate has led the way to make protections for females competing in athletics on any level a reality. I had the honor of joining President Trump earlier this year when he signed an executive order ensuring these protections on the federal level, and I am proud that Georgia is leading the way on this effort. 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.”
“I never would have thought a swim meet at Georgia Tech a few years ago would culminate in the Georgia General Assembly’s leadership passing Senate Bill 1 today. Wow, what a win for women and girls and what an honor to lend my name to this incredible bill,” said Riley Gaines, host of OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls” podcast and plaintiff in Gaines et al v NCAA et al. “ Georgia is now the 16th state to define ‘woman’ and the 27th state to protect women’s sports. I want to thank Senator Greg Dolezal for carrying this bill, Speaker Jon Burns for his leadership in the House, and Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones for his unwavering commitment to see this issue land on Governor Kemp’s desk. 2025 is the year for women’s rights in Georgia and across America!
“What a weird world the Left has initiated that I had to introduce a bill that would define ‘woman’ to protect women’s sex-based rights and athletics,” said Senator Greg Dolezal (R-District 27) and lead sponsor of Senate Bill 1. “I am proud to have sponsored Senate Bill 1—the Riley Gaines Act of 2025—to ensure men can’t compete in female athletics. Importantly, this bill also clarifies once and for all that there are only two sexes, and that women’s private spaces will be protected under Georgia law. I thank my colleagues for passing this morally conscious legislative package and squashing radical gender ideology from spreading any further in Georgia.”
Kansas, Tennessee, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana have all adopted laws inspired by Independent Women’s Stand With Women model, positively affecting the lives of over 23 million women and girls.
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