ATLANTA (AP) 鈥� Georgia's state House has backed away from changes to the state's that could have removed protections for crimes against transgender people, even as it moves forward with efforts to put into law restrictions against sports participation for transgender students.
Representatives voted 102-54 for House Bill 267 on Thursday, but only after House leaders on Wednesday stripped out part of the bill that would have changed the hate crimes law that passed in 2020 after the death of . Three Democrats voted for the bill 鈥� Lynn Heffner of Augusta, Tangie Herring of Macon and Dexter Sharper of Valdosta 鈥� while a number of other Democrats sat out the vote.
The measure moves to the Senate, which has passed its own separate legislation.
Georgia鈥檚 high school athletic association right now , but Republican leaders insist the ban needs to be enshrined in law and applied to colleges and universities as well. Laws for transgender students have passed in 25 other states.
Republican leaders in both the House and Senate have made from girls sports a priority this year as President Donald Trump at the federal level.
鈥淔emale athletes deserve fair competition and that means the chance to maintain the women's divisions distinct from men's categories," said Republican Rep. Josh Bonner of Fayetteville, the bill鈥檚 sponsor.
The House bill, heavily influenced by a Christian conservative group called Frontline Policy, replaces most references to 鈥済ender鈥� in state law with the word 鈥渟ex.鈥�
Democratic Rep. Karla Drenner of Avondale Estates called the bill a 鈥渃alculated, dangerous, deeply discriminatory piece of legislation that goes far beyond the realm of athletics.鈥�
鈥淟et鈥檚 call this the erasure of transgender Georgians act today," said Drenner, who was the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the legislature when she was elected in 2000.
It would have originally removed gender from the hate crimes law, which protects against crimes motivated by bias against someone鈥檚 sex or gender. Democrats warned that could make it hard to prosecute hate crimes against transgender people, with House Democratic Caucus Leader Tanya Miller saying it could result in 鈥渙pen season鈥� on transgender Georgians.
Bonner said Wednesday that he was making the changes out of an 鈥渙verabundance of caution and concern鈥� after a lawyer for the General Assembly said the change 鈥渨ould not likely be deemed meaningless by a reviewing court.鈥�
鈥淣othing changes in that regard from the original bill that passed several years ago,鈥� Bonner said Wednesday.
Georgia鈥檚 hate crimes law passed in dramatic fashion months after Ahmaud Arbery was killed by two white men while jogging near Brunswick. The state had gone without a hate crimes law for years after a court struck down a previous version.
Jeff Amy, The Associated Press
