People wave rainbow flags during celebrations for Pride month on June 25, 2022, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images)
Republicans in North Carolina could override three of the Democratic governor’s vetoes of anti-LGBTQ legislation as early as Wednesday night, the Senate leader’s office said.
Earlier last month, Gov. Roy Cooper declined to sign a ban on gender-affirming health care for minors and a bill that would prohibit trans women and girls from participating in female school sports, as well aslegislation that would limit classroom instruction on LGBTQ issues.
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Cooper vetoed the three bills — dubbed by critics as the “slate of hate” — on July 5, slamming Republicans for inciting “political culture wars” by using the government “to invade the rights and responsibilities of parents and doctors, hurting vulnerable children and damaging our state’s reputation and economy.”
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper affixes his veto stamp to a bill banning nearly all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy at a public rally, May 13, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C. On Wednesday, July 5, Cooper vetoed a trio of bills aimed at LGBTQ+ youth that would ban gender-affirming health care for minors, restrict transgender participation in school sports and limit classroom instruction about gender identity and sexuality. (Hannah Schoenbaum/AP)
“Instead of scheming for the next election, Republicans should get to work investing in our public schools and teachers, lowering the cost of living and creating more stability for middle-class families,” Cooper said in a statement.
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State Republicans hold veto-proof majorities for the first time since 2018, with a supermajority of exactly three-fifths in each chamber, and now have the voting power to enact several restrictions on LGBTQ rights in the state.
A final vote on all three bills — which critics say “brutally target our communities, particularly trans kids” — could come as early as Wednesday evening if House Republicans are able to gather all the needed votes.
The NCGA is planning to override all 3 bills TOMORROW, 8/16. That’s #HB808, the youth gender-affirming care ban, #SB49, the Don’t Say Gay bill, & #HB574, the sports ban. #ncpol
If you haven’t already, we urge you to tell your legislators to vote no: https://t.co/kqxvN6TK1M pic.twitter.com/czX1q4OIem — Equality NC (@equalitync) August 15, 2023
If Republicans are successful in overriding HB 808, North Carolina will become the 22nd state in the nation to ban or restrict gender-affirming care for transgender minors, even though the practice is considered “a supportive form of health care” that improves “the mental health and overall well-being of gender-diverse children and adolescents,” according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Evidence-based gender-affirming care for trans youth is also backed by nearly all major medical associations in the U.S., including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the Endocrine Society.
[ Tracking the record number of bills restricting the rights of LGBTQ people in 2023 ]
If Republicans vote to override Cooper’s veto on HB 574, which bans trans kids from participating in school athletics, critics say trans youth will suffer under the false narrative of “protecting” cisgender women’s sports.
Studies have shown trans sports bans deprive an already vulnerable population of the mental and physical benefits of sports while presenting no harm to cisgender youth.
With News Wire Services