North Carolina legislature overrides veto of bills affecting LGBTQ+ youths News
Chanilim714, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
North Carolina legislature overrides veto of bills affecting LGBTQ+ youths

The North Carolina House and Senate voted Wednesday to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of three bills related to LGTBQ+ youths.

The bills, SB49, HB808 and HB574, each target a different LGTBQ-related issue. SB49, which limits discussion of gender and sexual identity in classrooms, has been compared by Cooper to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Meanwhile, HB808 relates to the medical treatment of transgender minors, completely banning any gender-affirming care for children under 18. Finally, HB574 bans transgender youth from participating in sports teams that align with their gender identity. This ban includes not only public schools, but any private, charter or religious schools that compete in events against public schools.

Governor Roy Cooper initially vetoed all three of these bills when they passed through the House and Senate, but his veto was overruled by a large Republican majority.

In a statement to the public, Governor Cooper condemned the overrides, saying among other things:

A doctor’s office is no place for politicians, and North Carolina should continue to let parents and medical professionals make decisions about the best way to offer gender care for their children. Ordering doctors to stop following approved medical protocols sets a troubling precedent and is dangerous for vulnerable youth and their mental health. The government should not make itself both the parent and the doctor.

All three bills have received backlash from both the Human Rights Campaign and the North Carolina American Civil Liberties Union.

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