In March 2023, the Georgia legislature passed SB140, a bill sponsored by State Sen. Carden Summers, banning gender transition surgery and certain hormone therapies for transgender youth. Throughout the legislative process, opponents of the bill staged protests and pleaded with the legislature to reconsider.

Georgia’s law is part of a wave of similar laws in Republican-backed legislatures across the country.

This series, built from daily coverage at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, documents the passage of the bill through the Georgia legislature, and highlights some of the people who are affected by it.

Dare, 16, of Dacula poses for a portrait on Friday, March 10, 2023. Dare, who is nonbinary, uses they/them pronouns. “I’ve always been gender neutral my whole life,” Dare said. “My mom talks about how, when I was really little, I would pick toys from the boys aisle and the girls aisle.”

Students from the Morgan Oliver school hold signs in support of transgender youth at the Capitol in Atlanta on Monday, March 20, 2023.

State Sen. Carden Summers, R-Cordele, (right) speaks to Rep. Esther Panitch, D-Sandy Springs, at a meeting room in the Paul D. Coverdell Legislative Office Building before discussing his bill SB 140 with the House Public Health Committee on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

Jennifer Bowie and Aaron Baker (R-L center) become emotional while watching discussion of SB 140 on a TV screen in the Capitol before it gets final approval at the Senate in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

A view of the House of Representatives in Atlanta following the passage of SB 140 on Thursday, March 16, 2023.

Susan Clymer (second from left) reacts following the passage of SB 140 at a House Public Health Committee Meeting at the Paul D. Coverdell Legislative Office Building in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

State Rep. Sharon Cooper, R-Marietta, reacts during a discussion of SB 140 at a House Public Health Committee Meeting at the Paul D. Coverdell Legislative Office Building in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

Andy Welch (center) and Andy’s mother Tina Welch lean on each other at a rally against SB 140 outside the Capitol in Atlanta on Monday, March 20, 2023.

State senators vote regarding SB 140 in the Senate in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

State Sen. Carden Summers, R-Cordele, speaks to activists opposing SB 140 before the bill gets final approval at the Senate in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

Christine Cox (center), a parent of a transgender teenager, becomes emotional after speaking to state Sen. Carden Summers, R-Cordele, (back left) outside the Senate at the Capitol in Atlanta on Monday, March 20, 2023.

Dare, 16, Matthew, 15, and Jay, 13, of Dacula pose for a portrait on Friday, March 10, 2023. “Being nongender conforming isn’t a decision that’s made on a whim,” Jay said. “They’ve most likely known for a long time before they decided to tell anyone.”