North Carolina Republicans Waste No Time With New Supermajority

North Carolina Republicans Introduce Bills Targeting Transgender People After Securing New Supermajority

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina wasted no time in introducing legislation shortly after securing a supermajority in both state legislature chambers. These bills center around controversial and sensitive issues, particularly concerning the rights of transgender people.

On Wednesday, state Republicans filed multiple bills, including the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and the School Athletic Transparency Bill, which target the rights of high school transgender student-athletes to participate in sports as per their gender identity, along with access to healthcare for transgender youth.

The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act seeks to ban transgender females from participating in high school sports teams designated for females, stating that athletic teams for girls, women, and females are not open to students of the male sex. Similarly, the School Athletic Transparency Bill recognizes sex based only on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

A significant piece of legislation that passed on Wednesday is the Youth Health Protection Act, which prohibits transgender youth from access to certain surgeries or puberty blockers. This includes procedures that remove healthy or non-diseased body parts or tissues, such as a mastectomy.

According to WRAL, the Senate’s deadline to file bills is Thursday, making Wednesday’s actions particularly noteworthy, specifically by a legislator. Meanwhile, the House has until April 25 to file bills.

On Wednesday, state Rep. Tricia Cotham announced her switch from the Democratic Party to Republican, effectively handing the GOP a supermajority in both state legislature chambers. This renders Democratic Governor Roy Cooper‘s veto power useless if all members show up to vote, thus granting the state GOP immense power to pass desired legislation.

Cotham stated that her decision stemmed from her dissatisfaction with the current state of the Democratic Party, arguing that its lawmakers have become increasingly narrow-minded despite marketing themselves as inclusive. Cotham’s decision surprised several lawmakers, as the ex-Democrat served in the party for over a decade in Charlotte, the state’s largest city by far. North Carolina Democrats condemned Cotham’s exit, urging her to resign from office.

According to WRAL, Republicans have scheduled a press conference on Thursday morning to discuss the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. The same bill was introduced in 2021 on the fifth anniversary of North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom bill.”

Currently, at least 20 states- mainly in the South- have passed laws prohibiting transgender high school athletes from participating in teams aligned with their gender identity, while 13 states, including Indiana and Idaho, have enacted bans on gender-affirming care for minors.