Reclaiming Reality: Southeastern Legislation and the Fight for Women’s Rights
Lawmakers Advance Reality-Based Policy Following WDI USA's Atlanta Convention
This January, lawmakers in Georgia and South Carolina will be championing legislation that protects women’s sex-based rights and reaffirms biological reality. These efforts represent significant progress, but they’re also a reminder of the broader cultural fight—the fight to untangle the ideological maze harming women and children.
This fight was a central theme at WDI USA’s National Women’s Liberation Convention, held this past summer in Atlanta. Women from across North America gathered to become more informed on the threats posed by gender ideology and to strategize on advancing women’s sex-based rights. I had the honor of facilitating the “Building Bridges to Amplify the Women’s Liberation Movement” plenary featuring a panel of four incredible women—each of whom brought unique perspectives that emphasized the power of collaboration and unity among women and the benefits that our differences of backgrounds bring to the women’s liberation movement (panel recording).
Let’s explore some tangible steps being taken in the Southeast and the toll of confronting a movement that often doubles down on its harm.
Georgia: Keeping Women’s Sports Fair
In the legislative session starting January 13, Georgia lawmakers are expected to introduce legislation aimed at ensuring fairness and safety in women’s athletics. Supported by Lt. Governor Burt Jones and Speaker of the House Jon Burns, proposed measures would protect women’s sports by barring males from competing in female categories based on their biological sex at birth.
Such bills are about justice, not exclusion. Women’s sports exist because biology matters, and ignoring male physical advantages erodes opportunities for female athletes. The stakes go beyond medals and scholarships—this is about protecting fairness and dignity for women and girls.
Despite the common-sense nature of these proposals, the debate rages on. For those of us fighting for women’s rights, the message is clear: Georgia lawmakers must stand firm and ensure these protections become law.
South Carolina: Defining Biological Reality in Law
South Carolina’s legislative session begins January 14, with two key bills on the table:
Prohibiting Gender Changes on Birth Certificates (H.3095): This bill ensures that birth certificates remain factual records, reflecting biological sex rather than self-identified gender. Distorting these records undermines legal protections for women and girls.
Defining Biological Sex in State Laws (H.3506): This bill introduces clear definitions of "male," "female," and related terms, ensuring state laws and regulations reflect biological reality. It also provides reasonable accommodations for individuals with verifiable Disorders of Sex Development (DSDs), without compromising the binary nature of sex.
These measures combat the growing trend of rewriting biological truths to accommodate ideology. By restoring clarity in language and law, they help safeguard fairness, equality, and sex-based protections.
Shattered Illusions
Legislation like these represent progress, but it doesn’t erase the emotional toll of this fight. A few weeks ago, hours after publishing “Splitting the Baby: A Modern Judgement of Solomon,” I stumbled upon a video of a transgender-identified woman I knew during my days of trans-rights activism. It’s been nearly a decade since we last spoke, and seeing her hit me like a wave—her voice deeper, her face hairier, her rhetoric unchanged.
For years, I clung to the hope that logic and mounting evidence of iatrogenic harm would eventually prompt my former friends to question gender ideology. I believed that any decent person—people I knew them to be—would, given enough time, recognize the damage this ideology inflicts on women, children, and even themselves. But as I watched her, I came to a painful realization: ideology doesn’t always crack under pressure—it can calcify. Instead of softening her stance, time had only deepened her cognitive dissonance. She hadn’t woken up; she’d doubled down.
I’m still grappling with the painful truth: many of the women who champion gender ideology in good faith may never wake up to its harms. For every detransitioner or desister who escapes the maze, countless others will likely remain lost, unable or unwilling to speak up for the girls who need to hear their insight most.
Why This Fight Matters
The grief of knowing some will never wake up is sobering, but it only makes this fight more urgent. Legislation like what we’re seeing in Georgia and South Carolina is a spark—a reminder that truth and justice can prevail when we stand firm. Even if my hope for some is misplaced, the fight remains worth it—for the women and girls who can be reached and for those who will stand with us to help even more women and girls, even if their journey here takes more time.
Radical feminism fights for a future rooted in reality, not fantasy. To continue building on this progress, we must also advocate for the following—acknowledging that some of these issues are already being addressed in one state or the other but require consistent efforts nationwide:
Single-Sex Accommodations: Laws protecting spaces like restrooms, shelters, and prisons to ensure safety and dignity for women and girls.
Banning Gender-Based Medical Transitioning for Minors: Prohibitions on puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for children intended to modify sex traits.
Age Restrictions for Pornographic Content: Safeguards to prevent minors from accessing harmful material.
What You Can Do
Speak up: Call or email your legislators to support these bills.
Spread the word: Share these updates with your networks.
Show up: Attend hearings or meetings to make your voice heard.
Educate: Host discussions or share resources to counter misinformation.
Sometimes, waking up feels lonely. But even if logic and decency aren’t always enough to reach everyone, the fight remains worth it. Sparks can light the way forward—and with each step, we move closer to reclaiming reality. Let’s get to work! 🌴🍑
If you're a woman seeking a feminist home that upholds and respects the sex-based rights of women and girls, consider connecting with organizations in the United States that are dedicated to this mission: Women’s Declaration International USA (WDI USA), Feminists In Struggle (FIST), and Women’s Liberation Front (WOLF). These groups provide a space for women to unite in defense of our rights and to push for meaningful change.