Atlanta sports leagues defy anti-trans bill SB 1 

This article has been updated to correct a date previously stated as Friday, March 1. The correct date is Saturday, March 1

On Saturday, March 1, Atlanta Roller Derby (ARD) kicked off its season with its first bout at Agnes Scott College’s Woodruff Athletic Complex. Hundreds of fans filled the bleachers covered in face paint. They made signs, shared food, and cheered for their favorite skaters while watching the Glamma Rays and Black Water Reapers compete on the track. 

Athletes and fans gathered at this inclusive sports event in spite of a new bill before the Georgia General Assembly that threatens the ability of transgender people to play sports in Georgia schools.

On Jan. 13, 2025, Lt. Governor Burt Jones announced Georgia Senate Bill 1, known as the Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act. The bill aims to restrict participation in middle school, high school, and college sports based on biological sex. On Feb. 6, 2025, it passed the Senate with a 35-17 vote and states that “competitively fair and safe student participation” in sports is necessary, banning transgender athletes from competing in school sports teams. Among other factors, the bill would also ban transgender people from using bathrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms that align with their gender identity. 

The introduction of this discriminatory bill coincides with an executive order issued by the White House on President Donald Trump’s first day in office, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” that only allows for an individual’s passport to match the sex marker they were assigned at birth. Since the beginning of 2025, 634 anti-trans bills have been introduced across 48 states and 13 have passed into law, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker. 

SB 1 follows many other attempts to pass anti-trans legislation in Georgia. During the 2024 legislative session, 14 anti-trans bills were introduced by lawmakers, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker. Some of the bills aimed to target LGBTQ+ topics in schools, bathroom bans for trans students, restricting medical care for trans youth and much more. However, none of the bills have become law. 

Atlanta sports teams support trans rights 

Despite the Georgia government’s attempts to pass anti-trans legislation, sports teams in Atlanta continue to create safe and affirming spaces. 

Gnoems Griffin has played sports their entire life and been part of Atlanta Roller Derby for over a year. They said they found a supportive and caring trans community within the team and told ACPC that it has been great to see a growing number of trans, gender non-conforming, and queer people in the ARD community. 

“My experience with Atlanta Roller Derby also coincided with my transition,” Griffin said. “I joined and had some sense of who I was as a trans person, but I hadn’t quite figured it out and have been able to make these connections with people. My friends and I have been able to grow in our trans journeys together.”  

For some transgender athletes, sports can serve as a form of gender-affirming care.

Devin Higgins, a soccer and basketball player in Atlanta, described how the Trans Liberation Basketball League has helped her feel more at home in her body. Everyone on the team expresses themselves authentically and wears gender affirming clothes while coming together to play basketball, Higgins said. 

She shared that playing sports growing up helped her become more social and make friends. She believes SB 1 will exclude trans youth in schools, where they are already vulnerable and in need of support.

“If any trans kids do end up reading this, I want them to know that they are beyond loved already by so many strangers just for being themselves. There is so much support and love waiting for them and hopefully we are able to show them more directly and quickly,” Higgins said. 

Gender non-confirming care

QMed, or QueerMed, is a queer-focused health provider dedicated to offering gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary individuals. The team at QMed understands that, due to the repression faced by gender-nonconforming people across the United States, it can be challenging to access specialists focused on trans health. 

Luke Scarborough is a nurse practitioner with QMed, based in Georgia. Scarborough said he is concerned about the anti-trans legislation making its way through the Georgia legislature, noting how intense transphobia negatively impacts both his work and the lives of his patients.

“It’s life saving work and I don’t put that lightly,” Scarborough said. 

Anti-trans legislation such as SB 1 can have severe detrimental effects on the mental health of trans youth. These laws can increase suicide attempts by up to 72% among trans and non-binary youth, according to The Trevor Project. 

“Most of my patients, especially the young ones, have really suffered. A lot of them have been hospitalized for suicide attempts. They’re really struggling and their parents are just at their wits’ end, terrified that they’re gonna lose their kid,” Scarborough said.

He added that sports are an integral part of growing up in America. He believes that anti-trans legislation like SB 1 deprive trans youth of another place where they can just be themselves and not think about being different. 

“There’s such fear around the trans community, especially trans women,” Scarborough said. “Nobody is trying to pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. Nobody is trying to harm anybody. We’re not a threat. Our kids are not a threat.”

In Atlanta, trans athletes call for the support of their communities during these challenging times. 

“If you are somebody in a city with an active trans community, like Atlanta is, show up to those things that trans people are doing,” Griffin said. “You don’t need to be trans to show up to a Trans Basketball game and support. You don’t need to be trans to show up to an Atlanta Roller Derby game. You can just show up and support trans people.”