Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina blocked a bill that required athletes to compete on interscholastic or intramural sports teams that align with their biological sex.
House Bill 574, known as the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, explicitly states that teams designated for “females, women, or girls” can not be open to “students of the male sex.” The bill would have permitted schools and colleges to offer a co-ed team.
"We don’t need politicians inflaming their political culture wars by making broad, uninformed decisions about an extremely small number of vulnerable children that are already handled by a robust system that relies on parents, schools and sports organizations,” said Cooper, a Democrat, in a press release on July 5. “Republican governors in other states have vetoed similar bills because they hurt their states’ reputation and economy and because they are neither fair nor needed."
The bill was passed by the North Carolina House 62-43 in June. Riley Gaines, a women’s sports advocate who competed against transgender-identifying collegiate swimmer Lia Thomas, spoke in favor of HB 574 in April.
Gaines, who swam for the University of Kentucky, called the proposed law common sense and described her experience swimming against Thomas, who initially identified as a man and competed in NCAA Division 1 men’s swimming prior to 2022. Gaines said Thomas had an advantage over female athletes.
“This was a biological male that went from ranking 462 at best among men the year prior, to now dominating among the women,” Gaines said, per WCNC.
Liz Schob, the communications manager for Charlotte Pride, testified against the bill and called the measure transphobic.
“This is 2023, sexism is so tired, and the idea that someone’s performance is boiled down to their sex or their gender identity is a very tired narrative,” Schob said.
“Republicans hold exact three-fifths majorities in both the state House and Senate, allowing them to override vetoes if all party members stick together, as they have done numerous times this legislative session,” reports The Washington Times.
In addition to HB 574, Cooper also vetoed Parents’ Bill of Rights, which prohibits the instruction of sexuality or gender to students between kindergarten and fourth grade, and the Gender Transition/Minors Act, which prohibits surgical or medical intervention for minors under the age of 18 who experience gender dysphoria or identify as transgender. Cooper called the three bills a “triple threat of political culture wars” created by state Republicans to use “government to invade the rights and responsibilities of parents and doctors, hurting vulnerable children and damaging our state’s reputation and economy like they did with the harmful bathroom bill.”
“Instead of scheming for the next election, Republicans should get to work investing in our public schools and teachers, lowering the cost of living and creating more stability for middle class families,” stated Cooper.
The NC Family Policy Council, a nonprofit research and education organization that advocates for traditional family values, said in a statement that Cooper’s vetoes “were anticipated.”
“It is still discouraging to see our governor stand against these protections for parents, children, and families in North Carolina,” said the organization. “All three bills will now return to the General Assembly for veto override votes.”
