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Georgia

State by State · Gaines v. NCAA · testimony

The 2022 NCAA swimming championships, where a male swimmer competed in the women’s events, were held at Georgia Tech. Riley Gaines and other athletes sued the NCAA in federal court in Atlanta, with ICONS as the sole funder, and five plaintiffs testified before the Georgia Senate.

The law in Georgia

Law in force · Covers K-12 and colleges

Georgia law (the Riley Gaines Act, 2025) keeps girls' and women's teams for females in public schools and colleges, and in private schools that play against them. It also requires single-sex locker rooms and overnight rooms on school trips.

Past attempts

2022: HB 1084 passed and signed Apr. 28, 2022, but only authorized the GHSA to act rather than setting the rule in law (Wikipedia summary); GSU Law Review on HB 1084).

The law in detail, with sources

The law

SB 1, the “Riley Gaines Act of 2025.” Passed the Senate Feb. 6, 2025 (35–17) and the House Mar. 31, 2025 (100–64); signed by Gov. Brian Kemp Apr. 28, 2025 (Governor’s release; Lt. Governor’s office; vote counts per Wikipedia summary of the Georgia Recorder/AJC coverage)). Bill page: legis.ga.gov 69274. Effective July 1, 2025 (AJC). Before that, HB 1084 (signed Apr. 28, 2022) let the Georgia High School Association set the rule, and the GHSA voted 62–0 on May 4, 2022 to require students to play by the sex on their birth certificate, effective for 2022–23 (CNN; AJC).

Who it covers

Public K-12 schools, public colleges and universities, and private schools and colleges whose teams compete against public ones (AJC; Riley Gaines Act, Wikipedia).

Notes

Teams must be designated male, female or coed; the law “prohibits both males and females from competing on teams designated for the opposite gender” and requires multi-occupancy restrooms, changing areas and overnight sleeping quarters at school events to be single-sex (Governor’s release). Defines male and female by reproductive biology, bars covered colleges from hosting competitions that let males on women’s teams, bars giving female-team scholarships to males, and provides for a cause of action, complaint investigations and sanctions through the Professional Standards Commission (Wikipedia; Georgia Virtue line-by-line). No court challenge found. The 2022 GHSA rule did not clearly reach private-school athletes; SB 1 covers them directly (AJC).

What ICONS has done in Georgia

In the courts and statehouses

Plaintiffs and supporters at the Georgia State Capitol

August 27, 2024 · Georgia Senate Special Committee on Protecting Women's Sports

Gaines v. NCAA plaintiffs testify before the Georgia Senate

At the committee's first hearing, at the State Capitol in Atlanta, five plaintiffs in the ICONS-backed Gaines v. NCAA lawsuit testified about competing against and sharing a locker room with a male swimmer at the 2022 NCAA championships, held at Georgia Tech.

Atlanta News First

First page of the document: Riley Gaines and other female athletes sue the NCAA (Gaines v. NCAA)

March 14, 2024 · U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia

Ruled for NCAA; appeal announced

Riley Gaines and other female athletes sue the NCAA (Gaines v. NCAA)

Current and former college athletes sued the NCAA and Georgia university defendants over NCAA rules that let male athletes compete in women’s events and use women’s locker rooms. ICONS is the sole funder. The court denied the NCAA’s motion to dismiss in September 2025 but ruled for the NCAA on September 28, 2026, finding it is not covered by Title IX. The athletes and ICONS have announced an appeal to the Eleventh Circuit.

“bring this case to secure for future generations of women the promise of Title IX.” From the complaint, p. 2

Outcome: On Sept. 28, 2026, the court granted the NCAA summary judgment, finding it receives no federal funds and so isn't covered by Title IX; the athletes and ICONS announced an appeal to the Eleventh Circuit. Source

The lawsuit · Press release · Read the complaint (PDF)

Athletes in ICONS-backed lawsuits

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