ATLANTA, GA — Today, Independent Women applauds Georgia Governor Brian Kemp for boldly standing with women and signing “The Riley Gaines Act of 2025” (Senate Bill 1) into law. Passing with bipartisan support, the legislation defines “female” and “male” terms already used across state code and safeguards the existence of single-sex spaces and opportunities, including protecting women’s sports from including men. Georgia is now the 16th state to adopt sex-definitions and the 27th state to safeguard women’s sports in law—both inspired by Independent Women’s Stand With Women model legislation.
Now signed into law by Governor Kemp, The Riley Gaines Act of 2025:
- Defines common sex-based terms, such as ‘female,’ ‘male,’ ‘woman,’ and ‘man;’
- Protects single-sex spaces; and,
- Protects women’s sports for female athletes, including all collegiate athletes.
Independent Women commends Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, Speaker Jon Burns, and Senator Greg Dolezal for their leadership in standing with women and passing this crucial legislation.
The bill’s namesake, Riley Gaines, former 12x All-American swimmer, host of OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls,” and plaintiff in Gaines et al v NCAA et al urged Georgia leaders earlier this year to take swift action to define and codify sex-based terms in Georgia law and protect collegiate athletes. With this law now in place, Georgia joins the growing movement of states taking decisive action to defend women’s rights.
“As the parents of three daughters, Marty and I know just how important it is to keep our children safe and to give them the best possible start in life,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “That’s why I’m proud to sign SB 1 that further safeguards our classrooms from out-of-touch political agendas. Girls should not have to share a playing field, a restroom, or a locker room with boys, and the commonsense legislation I signed today is about what is fair and safe for our children. I want to thank the members of the General Assembly for putting the well-being of our students over politics. Like Marty and me, they want to protect their daughters and sons, they want them to grow up and compete in a fair environment, and they want their children to know that political agendas won’t dictate their lives.”
“Just like President Trump is delivering on promises made in D.C., here in Georgia we are keeping our promises and fulfilling our commitments to the people of Georgia – specifically our female athletes,” said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. “As the father of a female athlete – nothing is more important than ensuring that the protection of women’s sports is a reality in Georgia. I want to thank Governor Brian Kemp for signing Senate Bill 1 into law and Senator Greg Dolezal for sponsoring this priority. I also want to thank Riley Gaines and the other brave female athletes who shared their heroic stories and helped shape this legislation, we couldn’t have done it without their courage and support. The Senate has always led the way on protecting women’s sports and with Senate Bill 1 becoming law, the protection of women’s sports is now a reality for all female athletes in Georgia.”
“Today is a victory for truth, fairness and common sense in Georgia,” said Sen. Greg Dolezal (R–Cumming). “With the signing of this bill, we are drawing a firm line against the radical agenda that seeks to erase women from their own sports. I’m honored to have chaired the Senate’s Special Committee on the Protection of Women’s Sports and to stand with courageous leaders like Riley Gaines, who refused to be intimidated into silence. Thanks to their bravery and relentless advocacy, Georgia is leading the nation in defending biological reality and protecting opportunities for women and girls. We will never back down from fighting for what’s right.”
Beth Parlato, senior legal advisor at Independent Women, said, “I applaud signing the Riley Gaines Act into law. Georgia took a crucial step in restoring fairness, clarity, and common sense to women’s sports. By establishing clear, sex-based definitions, this legislation reinforces the original intent of Title IX and protects opportunities that generations of women have fought hard to earn. By acknowledging biological reality, this bill sends a strong message: we value truth, we value women, and we will stand up for fairness.”
“Three years after I, and dozens of other DI female athletes, were forced to compete against a man in a Georgia pool, the Riley Gaines Act of 2025 is now law. It’s an honor of a lifetime to know our stories help shed light on a grave problem of rampant gender ideology that means women are victims of government facilitated sex discrimination,” said Riley Gaines, host of OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls” podcast and plaintiff in Gaines et al v NCAA et al. “Thanks to Governor Kemp’s signature today and the leadership of the Georgia legislature—especially Sen. Greg Dolezal, Lt. Governor Burt Jones, and Speaker Jon Burns—Georgia has defined ‘woman’ in law and protected women’s sports. Thank you to all those who helped move this bill and restore truth and common sense.”
Georgia now joins Kansas, Tennessee, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana in adopting laws inspired by Independent Women’s Stand With Women model, which has positively affected the lives of nearly 30 million women and girls.
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