Burt Jones campaign rolls out 'Girl Dads for Burt’ coalition aiming to preserve fairness in girls’ sports
EXCLUSIVE: Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ gubernatorial campaign is launching a "Girl Dads for Burt" coalition Wednesday that seeks to stand up for fairness and safety in girls' sports and highlight Jones’ past efforts to restrict female athletics to biological girls.
The launch of the coalition coincides with National Girls & Women in Sports Day, which recognizes female athletes and promotes sports for girls. The coalition, which already includes a leadership committee of dads, features a few dozen fathers from across the Peach State who support Jones' efforts to preserve fairness, safety and opportunity in girls' sports.
"Being a dad isn't just a talking point. It’s a responsibility — and one I don't take lightly. Protecting girls on and off the field shouldn’t be controversial. It's about safety, common sense and doing the right thing," Jones, a Republican, said in a press release obtained by Fox News Digital.
"Girls’ sports open doors to scholarships, confidence, leadership, and lifelong opportunity," he added. "This coalition is made up of fathers who understand our responsibility to protect our girls and their future."
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, Jones said as a father to a female athlete, he wanted to celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day by making it a "girl dads' sports day."
"I obviously played football at the University of Georgia and all of my peers that I played with, most of them have teenage children now," Jones said. "A lot of them have teenage daughters like myself, and so we've started a coalition of about 30 guys there that have teenage daughters, and all of them are very competitive, they're like their dads."
The fathers who have joined the coalition include elected officials, law enforcement officers, coaches and Hall of Fame athletes such as former NFL cornerback Champ Bailey, who said he is a "proud girl dad" and wants to stand up for fairness in girls' sports.
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"Protecting our daughters means standing up for fairness, safety and opportunity on and off the field," Bailey said in a video message, obtained by Fox News Digital, on behalf of the coalition. "Burt Jones understands what's at stake for our girls and our families. That's why I'm proud to be part of the 'Girl Dads for Burt' Coalition. A proud girl dad, it's time we stand up for our girls."
Jones said other athletes who joined the coalition include his college roommate Cory Phillips and other former football players from the University of Georgia.
"Not only are most of us former teammates or former athletes ourselves, but we're proud that we have kids that are following in our footsteps," he told Fox News Digital. "For those who have daughters, they'll tell you their daughters are as competitive, if not more competitive, than their sons. So, obviously, having a name like a Champ Bailey or Cory Phillips or David Pollack, whoever it might be, those are [household] names, especially in the UGA network."
The lieutenant governor is seeking to replace term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp after the 2026 election. Other candidates include Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state Attorney General Chris Car for the Republicans, and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan for the Democrats.
Jones acknowledged that the coalition likely will not be a "defining moment" in the election, but said it means a lot to various people.
"I think it shows the depth and the reach that I have outside your standard political talk," he said. "I'm a husband, I'm a father, I'm a business guy, and I love the state. I was born and raised here in the state of Georgia. I love the state of Georgia and I want to see our young people succeed and have a fair way of doing it on a level playing field."
Addressing instances across the country in which schools and athletic programs have allowed biological boys to compete in girls' sports, Jones affirmed that he has been a strong proponent of only permitting biological girls in female athletics.
Jones was a staunch backer of the Riley Gaines Act, a Georgia law signed by Kemp last year that requires Georgia schools and colleges to designate athletic teams based on biological sex.
"I've led the charge in the [state] Senate to say this isn't right," Jones said. "These female athletes have worked hard for what they are trying to do in life and trying to do in sports, and we should not let biological males come into their arenas and take positions, take scholarships away from them, take titles away from them or medals or whatever it might be, and so I was proud to do that."
Similar actions aiming to ban biological males from female sports have also been taken in other GOP-led states, as well as at the federal level.
President Donald Trump, who endorsed Jones for Georgia governor, signed an executive order a year ago that sought to keep biological males from girls' sports and threatened to revoke federal funding from institutions that allow transgender girls to participate on girls' teams.
"I greatly appreciate having the president's support," Jones said.
Congressional Republicans also attempted to pass legislation last year prohibiting biological males from participating in female-designated athletic programs at federally funded schools, although the measure, dubbed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, stalled in the Senate after passing the House.
Jones said he expects that his coalition of girl dads will continue to grow, but that families he has spoken to in Georgia have been very receptive to his efforts to ensure sports are designated by biological sex.
"Some people might have experienced their child not getting to participate in a sport or being shut out of a potential medal or championship or whatever when somebody had an unfair advantage over them. So the network of people who have female athletes in their household, it's very positive feedback from them," he said.
"We're not trying to marginalize any one group, but we are trying to promote and protect girls' sports," Jones continued.
"Sports is one of those things where you can almost throw out political identities, because sports are usually the ultimate uniter," he added. "So, when you are in this political arena, where so much of it is red and blue, sports is the ultimate equalizer, it's the one thing that usually brings everyone together."