In North Carolina, transgender rights took the spotlight on Tuesday as the Republican-controlled General Assembly moved forward with legislation aimed at restricting gender-affirming healthcare and transgender participation in sports.
This legislative push occurs towards the end of the North Carolina session and amidst a wave of similar legislation across Republican-led state legislatures, making it a record year for targeting transgender individuals.
Shortly after the House Health Committee approved a bill that prohibits state facilities from providing hormone treatments and gender-affirming surgeries to transgender minors, the Senate voted 31-17 in favor of banning transgender girls from participating in school sports teams that correspond to their gender identity. Senator Val Applewhite, a Democrat, joined all the Republicans in voting for the ban.
Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, has limited power to block such legislation as Republicans maintain veto-proof majorities in both chambers.
During the Senate debate, Senator Kevin Corbin, a Republican from Macon County and one of the main sponsors of the bill, argued that the measure “is not against anybody” and is necessary to safeguard female athletes. However, Senator Lisa Grafstein, the only openly LGBTQ+ state senator from Wake County, criticized him for advancing a bill during Pride Month that she believed targets a vulnerable minority group for political gain under a nationalized agenda aiming to dehumanize them.
Following the vote, Senator Val Applewhite shared with The Associated Press that she sided with the Republicans after consulting with sports coaches and umpires in her district. She explained, “I feel the compassion behind the argument,” and added, “but I’m representing what I believe is right for the people of Cumberland County.”
The bill that prohibits transgender girls from participating in girls’ middle school, high school, and college sports teams may be brought back to the House floor for a final concurrence vote, potentially as early as Wednesday. Both the House and Senate had passed different versions of the bill, but legislative leaders chose to move forward with the House bill.
On Tuesday morning, members of the House made substantial changes to the Senate version of the bill. They utilized it as an opportunity to reintroduce restrictions on gender-affirming care, which some transgender minors, like 15-year-old Rowan Bilodeau of Pittsboro, argued would curtail their access to crucial treatments.
In the final days of the North Carolina legislative session, transgender rights have become a prominent issue as the GOP-controlled General Assembly pushes forward with legislation aimed at restricting gender-affirming healthcare and transgender participation in sports. This legislative effort aligns with a trend seen in many Republican-led state legislatures this year, where there has been a record number of bills targeting transgender residents.
Following the House Health Committee’s approval of a bill prohibiting state facilities from providing hormone treatments and gender-affirming surgeries to transgender minors, the Senate voted 31-17 to ban transgender girls from participating in school sports teams that correspond to their gender identity. All Republicans and one Democrat, Sen. Val Applewhite, voted in favor of the ban.
With Republicans holding veto-proof majorities in both chambers, Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has limited power to block such legislation.
During the Senate debate, Sen. Kevin Corbin, a Republican from Macon County and one of the primary sponsors of the bill, argued that it is not targeting anyone but is instead a necessary measure to protect female athletes. However, Sen. Lisa Grafstein, the only openly LGBTQ+ state senator from Wake County, criticized him for advancing a bill during Pride Month that she believes targets a vulnerable minority group as part of a national agenda to dehumanize them for political gain.
After the vote, Sen. Val Applewhite explained to The Associated Press that she voted with the Republicans after consulting with sports coaches and umpires in her district. She stated that while she understands the compassion behind the argument, she believes she is representing what is right for the people of Cumberland County.
The bill, which bans transgender girls from participating in girls’ middle school, high school, and college sports teams, may return to the House floor for a final concurrence vote as early as Wednesday. Both chambers had passed different versions of the bill, but legislative leaders decided to proceed with the House bill.
On Tuesday morning, House members made significant changes to the Senate version of the bill, using it as an opportunity to reintroduce restrictions on gender-affirming care. This move raised concerns among some transgender minors, like 15-year-old Rowan Bilodeau from Pittsboro, who stated that such restrictions would limit their access to vital treatments. Bilodeau emphasized the importance of gender-affirming care, stating that it saved their life, and expressed a desire for others to have the same opportunities. They also highlighted the higher rates of suicidal ideation among transgender youth compared to their cisgender peers, cautioning that this legislation could worsen the already tragic situation.
The proposed legislation aims to impose several restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors in North Carolina. If passed, it would prohibit public healthcare facilities, including public hospitals and University of North Carolina affiliates, from performing surgical gender transition procedures on minors. Additionally, it would prohibit these facilities from providing puberty-blocking drugs or cross-sex hormones to transgender minors. Furthermore, starting from October 1, the use of state funds for any gender transition procedure would be prohibited.
It is important to note that gender-affirming treatments for gender dysphoria are widely regarded as safe and medically necessary by leading professional health associations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the Endocrine Society. While surgical interventions for transgender minors are extremely rare, it is common for them to receive prescriptions for puberty-blocking drugs to delay the onset of puberty, and in some cases, to begin hormone therapy before reaching adulthood.
During the North Carolina debate, Rep. Timothy Reeder, a Republican from Pitt County, argued against the claims that gender-affirming care is safe and well-researched. He stated that the bill is not intended to limit treatment for children with gender dysphoria or those struggling with their identity but rather aims to restrict potentially life-altering treatments before minors fully understand and consent to them.
It is worth noting that around 20 states have already passed laws that restrict or ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Earlier on the same day, a federal judge ruled that Arkansas’ ban on such care for children was unconstitutional, marking the first time such a prohibition has been overturned as more Republican-led states implement similar restrictions.
The North Carolina debate featured testimony from Prisha Mosley, a prominent advocate against gender-affirming care. Mosley shared her personal experience, stating that she suffered severe and lasting injuries from gender-transition treatments she received as a minor while growing up in North Carolina. Now 25 years old, she recounted how a counselor convinced her at the age of 17 that she was actually a boy, leading her to undergo testosterone treatment and surgery to remove her breasts at the age of 18.
Mosley is now part of a small group of “detransitioners” who have halted or reversed their gender transitions. They have been appearing in state legislatures across the country to support Republican claims that the procedures offered to minors are irreversible and that regret is common. However, treatment guidelines issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health last year stated that evidence of later regret is limited.
On Wednesday, a Senate committee will review a separate bill that aims to prohibit gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors. This particular proposal had already passed the House of Representatives last month. Additionally, after a period of four months without any progress on the bill since it passed the Senate, a House committee will now consider a new bill that requires public schools to notify parents before using a different name or pronoun for a student.
D Sellars, a 40-year-old nonbinary parent from Fuquay-Varina, expressed their concern regarding the series of bills targeting transgender individuals in North Carolina and across the nation. Sellars stated that these bills only serve to further marginalize the transgender community, push them away from the mainstream, and provide ammunition to bigots.
