North Carolina enacts laws to protect women and children from gender ideology after successful veto overrides

The North Carolina General Assembly overrode six vetoes from Gov. Roy Cooper, enacting laws promising to protect women and children from radical gender ideology.

Cooper, a Democrat, has already been on the losing end of several battles with the Legislature on issues ranging from abortion to agriculture. In July, he vetoed two high-profile bills, forcing the Legislature to vote again in order to enact them without the governor’s signature. 

HB 808 outlaws the performance of “a surgical gender transition procedure on a minor” and the prescription of “puberty-blocking drugs or cross-sex hormones to a minor.”  

And HB 574 ensures fairness in women’s sports by requiring sports teams to be arranged by biological sex or be coed.  

Four other vetoes were also overturned Wednesday, enacting laws to protect parental rights, streamline the approval of charter schools and block costly energy regulations. 

House Speaker Tim Moore described the overrides as “huge wins for North Carolian women, parents, and families.” 

“While Governor Cooper has tried to stand between parents and their kids, today the NC House will continue to affirm parent’s rights, protect female athletes, and advocate for the health and safety of our children,” said Moore’s press release. 

Both HB 808 and HB 574 were backed by Republican sponsors, who have a supermajority in both chambers. And both measures were overturned by the exact same margin: 74-45 in the House, and 27-28 in the Senate.  

Cooper released a statement Wednesday criticizing lawmakers for having the “wrong priorities.”  

However, North Carolina is one of more than 20 states banning gender-altering treatments for minors and restricting transgender participation in female sports.