President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order today banning transgender female athletes from participating in women’s sports. But while Trump and Republicans have justified such bans as a way to protect women’s rights, Georgia state Sen. Kimberly Jackson (D) is challenging these claims by introducing a bill that calls for equal funding for girls’ and women’s sports. 

Jackson, who is her home state’s first out gay senator and was interviewed by LGBTQ Nation earlier last year, filed her bill in response to the so-called “Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act,” a GOP-led bill that prohibits students from competing on teams that don’t match the sex listed on their birth certificates. Though aimed at transgender people the bill could also affect the occasional cisgender girls who play in boys’ contact sports.

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In response to the legislation’s passing, Jackson filed a bill entitled “Equal Opportunities in Girls’ Sports” that would require girls’ and boys’ sports teams to receive comparable and equivalent funding and facility access. This includes equal pay for girls’ varsity coaches, the provision of equipment supplies and travel allowances, and scheduling for games and practices.

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Jackson quickly called out Republicans’ anti-transgender legislation as being nothing more than a bigoted attack against trans people repackaged with the deceitful narrative of supporting women’s sports.

“If we want to have a real conversation about leveling the playing field, let’s talk about the severe lack of equipment provided to teams, like the six soccer balls given to girls’ soccer teams in South DeKalb, or resorting to raising operating funds through athletic booster clubs and student fees to ensure they have proper equipment,” Jackson said.

“Let’s talk about how girls’ soccer coaches, who work twice as long — averaging 20 games a season — make one-third the pay of the football coaches averaging 10 games a season,” she continued. “Or how some girls’ sports teams are assigned teacher supervisors with no coaching experience because the pay inequity is so steep that the qualified coaches won’t take the job.”

Jackson’s bill places the GOP-controlled state legislature and governor’s office in a predicament of needing eiher to put their money where their mouth is to avoid making looking like hypocrites. However, it is more likely that this bill won’t be passed.

Critics have argued that the Republicans’ championing of women’s rights rings insincere, especially considering Republicans’ historic attempts to undermine Title IX, a federal law prohibiting gender discrimination in federally funded educational programs, including sports.

Prior to becoming a state senator, Jackson served as an Episcopal priest. She has previously said of her dealings with conservatives who allegedly try to model the government on Christian principles, “Because they know I’m an ordained pastor, their ability to manipulate scripture has been thwarted. It makes it more difficult.”

“I’m finding my colleagues are using less clearly religious language to talk about their religious objections because they’ve got a trained theologian who can rebut it,” she added.

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