Religious speech on athletes’ uniforms equals other speech

Legislation that bans Georgia public high schools from participating in an athletic assocation that prohibits religious expression on student athletic clothing has passed the General Assembly.

Senate Bill 309 now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature. It prohibits religious expression from being treated differently from other personal expression; if personal expression is allowed, then religious expression must be, too.

It’s aimed at the Georgia High School Association, whose officials testified against the legislation during committee hearings. The clothing requirements should have no immediate effect, since the GHSA currently bans personal expression on uniforms. But the bill also requires the GHSA to allow inter-association scrimmages, which currently are banned, though GHSA said it was in the process of relaxing that policy.