With new supermajority, North Carolina Republicans file bills aimed at transgender people

North Carolina Republic legislators have swiftly moved to introduce bills centered on various rights of the transgender community, following the historic supermajority they secured in both of the state legislature chambers. The bills filed cover a range of issues which have been controversial topics in the nation, including healthcare rights and the participation of high school transgender student-athletes in sports teams, based on the gender they identify with.

The Fairness in Women’s Sports Bill and the School Athletic Transparency Bill seek to stop transgender females from playing on female high school sports teams. The Fairness in Women’s Sports Bill states, “Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls shall not be open to students of the male sex”. The School Athletic Transparency Bill follows similar aims; it wishes to identify an individual’s gender solely based on their reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

The bill having the most significant impact is the Youth Health Protection Act, which aims to prevent transgender youth from receiving puberty blockers, mastectomies or other surgeries that surgically alter any healthy or non-diseased body tissue or parts.

The deadline to file bills in the Senate is Thursday, while the House deadline is April 25th. One legislator, Tricia Cotham, announced on Wednesday of her decision to switch from Democrat to Republican, which would give the GOP immense power as it would allow them to enact the legislation they want without having to worry about Cooper’s veto. Republicans have taken this opportunity to call a press conference on Thursday morning to discuss the Fairness in Women’s Sports Bill.

Overall, twenty states, mainly in the Southern regions, have passed laws to prohibit transgender high school athletes from competing in sports teams based on the gender they identify with. However, this has remained a controversial issue, and activists have voiced their concerns about this discriminatory approach. Currently, thirteen states, notably Indiana and Idaho, have bans on gender-affirming care for minors.

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