North Carolina’s Democrat Governor Roy Cooper has vetoed three bills related to transgender issues, one banning sex changes for minors, another keeping biological males out of girls’ sports, and a third that would limit school instruction on gender ideology.
Luckily, Republicans hold a supermajority and can override Cooper’s veto — making it simply an act of virtue signaling.
“While LGBTQ+ rights advocates say Cooper’s attempt to block the bills demonstrates his support amid what they view as unrelenting attacks from the General Assembly, his veto stamp carries little weight now that Republicans hold narrow veto-proof majorities in both chambers,” PBS News reports. “His vetoes are not expected to survive override attempts, which could happen as soon as next week when lawmakers return from their Fourth of July break.”
While attempting to block the slate of bills, Cooper referred to them as “a triple threat of political culture wars.”
“Parents are the most essential educators for their children and their involvement must be encouraged, but this bill will scare teachers into silence by injecting fear and uncertainty into classrooms,” Cooper said.
“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,” Cooper added. “Ordering doctors to stop following approved medical protocols sets a troubling precedent and is dangerous for vulnerable youth and their mental health.”
State Sen. Joyce Krawiec, who sponsored the bill blocking sex changes for minors, said in a statement that Cooper “turned a blind eye to the protection of children,” adding that the Republican legislature is “taking the safest approach by limiting access to these life-altering medical procedures until a child comes of age.”
The bills will prohibit prescribing hormones or puberty blockers to minors, require public school teachers to alert parents before they call a student by a different name or pronoun and ban instruction on “gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality” in kindergarten through fourth grade. The final bill will bar males from playing on high school and college sports teams for girls.
Opponents of the bills have already vowed a legal battle to try and prevent them from going into effect.
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