Republicans are digging deep into their dusty culture war drawer, and guess what’s back in fashion? Anti-trans hysteria — just in time for Georgia’s Senate races. With millions flowing from One Nation, the Senate GOP’s favorite super PAC, they’ve launched their first big ad of the 2026 cycle, zeroing in on Democrat Jon Ossoff. And how are they doing it? By coming for the trans kids. Again.
This ad blitz isn’t subtle. Timed to hijack eyeballs during the Final Four, the Masters, and Atlanta Braves games, the spot paints Ossoff as too “woke” for opposing a Republican bill that would have banned trans girls from playing school sports. “Man-to-man defense isn’t woke enough for Ossoff,” the ad sneers. Oh, and it ends with an Ossoff doppelgänger dunking on a female player. Classy.
But here’s what that ad doesn’t say: the bill wasn’t about fairness in sports — it was about cruelty. It would’ve pulled federal funding from schools that support trans inclusion, gutting programs that help low-income students while forcing invasive “genital checks” on girls. That’s not policy, that’s perversion wrapped in politics.
When “Protecting Girls” Is Just Code for Attacking Trans Kids
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about sports. It’s about scaring voters with cartoonish portrayals of trans youth. According to the NCAA, fewer than ten college athletes are trans out of half a million — but sure, let’s pretend this is the great threat to our republic. “There has never been a single transgender athlete identified in any of these hearings,” said Jeff Graham from Georgia Equality. “It’s a made-up issue.”
The real issues Georgians care about? Housing. Health care. School funding. But the GOP is banking on fear, not facts. And let’s not forget the impact these smear campaigns have on real lives. Trans kids already navigating a hostile world now have to see politicians debate their humanity during baseball games.
Brandon Wolf of the Human Rights Campaign nailed it: “Georgians deserve political leaders who respect and value every child… The GOP is going back to their tired playbook: using trans kids as political pawns.”
Voters Are Watching — and Learning
The good news? Voters are waking up. Wisconsin just elected a liberal justice by ten points after a flurry of transphobic ads. The secret? Democrats didn’t flinch. They ignored the bait and focused on values. Sarah Kate Ellis from GLAAD said it best: “Stoking the flames of anti-transgender fear is a losing campaign tactic.”
Still, the danger is real. Georgia passed its own trans sports ban last week — a stark reminder that this rhetoric translates into painful realities. Cisgender girls are already being wrongly accused of being trans and humiliated just to play sports.
That’s the message LGBTQ+ voters, allies, and parents of trans youth are trying to send loud and clear: enough is enough. These aren’t just campaign ads — they’re cultural attacks with devastating consequences.
Ossoff Isn’t Backing Down
Senator Ossoff isn’t staying quiet. His campaign hit back, accusing Republicans of creating division instead of fixing actual problems. “American parents don’t need federal bureaucrats confirming our children’s genitalia,” said Ossoff’s spokesperson. “Athletic associations and local schools can ensure fairness.”
What’s at stake here isn’t just a Senate seat — it’s the right for every kid, trans or not, to feel safe and valued. In this political circus, Ossoff is standing up for inclusion while the GOP hurls tired insults. And queer Georgians? We’ve heard it all before.
We’re not playing defense anymore. We’re taking the shot.