North Carolina’s GOP legislature sends transgender athlete ban to governor’s desk

Legislation banning transgender athletes from competing on school sports teams that align with their gender identity is headed to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) desk after the state House approved the measure Thursday in a 62-43 vote.

The legislation was previously approved by the state Senate. While Cooper is expected to veto the measure, he is likely to be overridden by the legislature.

Republicans have large enough majorities to override a veto by Cooper. Votes on the measures in each chamber have generally been along party lines. Just one Democrat in the House joined Republicans in voting for the measure, according to The Associated Press.

The legislation affects students at middle and high schools as well as colleges.

Under the legislation, student athletes must compete on teams corresponding with their gender as assigned at birth. The law only applies to trans women and not to trans men.

The bill is one of several pieces of legislation targeting trans student athletes approved by legislatures around the country. The issue has also been raised on the GOP campaign trail by a number of presidential candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R).

The North Carolina legislature is also considering bans on gender-affirming care for transgender young people.

Democrats in the state criticized the measure as discriminatory.

“We’re sending a very strong message to a very vulnerable group of young people that says you are different, you’re not allowed to participate,” state Rep. Deb Butler (D) told The Associated Press. “It’s cruel.”

Utah overrode a veto from Gov. Spencer Cox (R) earlier this year on a similar measure after Cox noted it would only impact four athletes in the entire state.

“Rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few,” Cox said of his state’s law.

Experts have estimated that less than 40 transgender women compete in college sports nationwide.

LGBTQ advocacy nonprofit the Human Rights Campaign said efforts to ban trans athletes in schools is a continuance of anti-LGBTQ trends seen nationwide in the last decade.

“These bills represent a cruel effort to further stigmatize and discriminate against LGBTQ+ people across the country, specifically trans youth who simply want to live as their true selves and grow into who they are,” according to the nonprofit’s site.

“After failing to prohibit trans and non-binary people’s access to restrooms, legislators have pivoted to using misinformation about sports as the next way to score political points.”

Supporters of the North Carolina bill argue the legislation is necessary to provide fairness in sports.

“Women and girls who train for countless hours and years in their sports will have a level playing field, and their opportunities will be protected if this legislation becomes law,” Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the socially conservative North Carolina Values Coalition, told The Associated Press.