Transgenders, Allies Cry Foul On Discrimination Against Georgia's Ban On Sports Participation

Transgender students and allies decry Georgia's new state policy that they say discriminates against transgender athletes on the school team. They will fight and not be silent, they say.

"Our trans youth, our queer youth, every single kid in this state deserves so much better than what we are being afforded right now," activist and former Democratic state House candidate Bentley Hudgins declared against Georgia High School Association's new rules that require all students to only play on a sports team that matches their biological sex as identified on their birth certificate,

According to the

Schools Become 'Unsafe, Discriminatory Environment For Trans Youth'

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"GHSA and Georgia legislators are creating exactly the type of unsafe, discriminatory environment for trans youth that school counselors are tasked with preventing," declared Jennifer Susko, the school counselor that resigned from Cobb County school district a year ago because of its ways of handling racial issues. She further stated that the new rule denies the professional obligations of counselors to deal with transgender students according to their gender identity and make sure they do not get harassed or discriminated or suffer discipline in any way. The new rule can bring transgender youth to an "elevated risk" for depression and suicidal thoughts and attempts. Thus, they should be provided with a safe environment where they can feel a sense of belonging.

"In particular, Black transgender youth report disproportionate rates of suicide risk with 59% seriously considering suicide, and more than one in four, or 26%, attempting suicide in 2020. So, there's an urgency to building safe, inclusive, welcoming spaces, including in sports, for transgender students, in an effort to intervene," Susko added.

Hudgins, Isbiter, and Susko were among the speakers of last Wednesday's virtual meeting after a rally scheduled Sunday was canceled due to a death threat sent to a young LGBTQ organizer in the metro Atlanta via email, with specific details on the time, date, and location of the rally, to which Isbiter pointed out as an act of a coward, and, along with the action of Kemp and all who voted for the ban, a "direct threat to the rights of our families and children, the right not to live in fear."

Also Read: She Was The Fastest High School Girl Runner In Connecticut - Until She Was Forced To Compete Against A Biological Male

'Start Your Own Team'

While transgender students and activists call the new rule discrimination, some disagree. Comments from

Another comment even thank Kemp for "standing up for real female athletics."

Related Article: International Olympic Committee Announces New Guidelines For Allowing Transgender Athletes To Compete In Sports