Gov. Cooper vetoes bills surrounding transgender youth, sports
Republicans can still override all three bills and have them become law
Republicans can still override all three bills and have them become law
Republicans can still override all three bills and have them become law
Gov. Roy Cooper struck down three bills pertaining to children and gender identity.
HB 574, or Fairness in Women's Sports Act, bans transgender girls from competing on sports teams at several different levels, including high school.
Other bills include SB 49, or Parents' Bill of Rights, which calls for parental guidance over education, health care and mental health over their children. HB 808 relates to gender transition procedures among minors.
The Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrera, who supported the governor's vetoes, is the executive director of Campaign for Southern Equality. It's an Asheville-based organization catered to promoting equality among LGBTQ+ communities.
"It's an incredible insult that lawmakers are reporting that these bills are about protecting the welfare of children in our state," Beach-Ferrera said. "If they were concerned with protecting children in our state, there's a laundry list of legislative items they could be prioritizing. Everything from funding our public schools to universal pre-K to addressing childhood poverty and hunger."
As John Dinan, a political science professor at Wake Forest University, explains, North Carolina is not the first state to push related legislation.
"The issues that North Carolina Republican legislators are responding to by proposing and passing these laws are similar to the issues that are also driving passage of these bills in other states," Dinan said. "Almost entirely Republican-controlled states, we should be clear, these issues that are at stake and these bills very much divide the parties."
Conservative groups also responded to the recent legislation. Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of NC Values, released this statement in part:
"Instead of siding with 70% of North Carolinians on protecting women's sports from biological males stealing their opportunities, or with the 80% calling for transparency in schools, or shielding children from medical activists, governor cooper has sided with the small, but loud radical left. We urge legislators to swiftly override these three vetoes, and to protect North Carolina's women, children, and families. "
Still, Beach-Ferrera says campaigns for southern equality, among others, are ready to respond if the legislation regarding LGBTQ+ communities is enacted.
"One pathway of fighting them is through the courts. Parallel to that, it's critically important that we are getting resources directly to the families of transgender youth, particularly in response to HB808," Beach-Ferrera said.
"We're providing emergency grants and referrals and assistance with ensuring that youth are not losing access to medical care that could be life-saving and certainly life-affirming."
Dinan went on to say even if legislators override the veto, it's not the end of the story. Litigation could also unfold following some of these bills.