Male athletes who identify as females will no longer be able to dominate women’s sports in the State of North Carolina. On Wednesday, both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly voted to override Democratic Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of HB574, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which was passed in April in the North Carolina House and in June by the North Carolina Senate.
The General Assembly also overrode a veto of HB808, which prohibits doctors from providing hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs, or gender-transition surgeries to anyone under 18. In addition, Cooper’s veto of SB49, which requires educators to inform parents when a child asks to use alternative pronouns, was also overridden.
Cooper was enraged at the General Assembly’s use of the democratic process.
“The legislature finally comes back to pass legislation that discriminates, makes housing less safe, blocks FEMA disaster recovery funding, hurts the freedom to vote, and damages our economy,” Cooper said in a statement on X. “Yet they still won’t pass a budget when teachers, school bus drivers and Medicaid Expansion for thousands of working people getting kicked off their health plans every week are desperately needed. These are the wrong priorities, especially when they should be working nights and weekends if necessary to get a budget passed by the end of the month.”
Those in favor of common sense when it comes to transgender issues, on the other hand, were delighted.
Swimmer Riley Gaines, who lost a trophy to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in 2021, welcomed the veto.
“Fantastic news! NC house and senate has now officially overridden the veto of Gov Cooper of HB 574, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” Gaines said on X. “The bill is now law in North Carolina! It passed with bipartisan support.”
Others echoed Gaines’ enthusiasm.
“Girls deserve to compete on a level playing field. Allowing males to compete in girls’ sports destroys fair competition and women’s athletic opportunities,” said Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of NC Values Coalition. “Girls deserve equal opportunities to experience the thrill of victory, and to be rewarded for their commitment and sacrifices in achieving athletic excellence. Allowing males to compete in girls’ sports disadvantages girls and destroys their athletic opportunities.”
“Bodies play sports, not identities, and this bill ensures North Carolina girls and women won’t be benched in their own sports and can train confidently knowing they have a safe and level playing field,” Fitzgerald added.
And the potential emotional scars of young women being forced to share locker rooms with males cannot be overstated.
“No young woman, least of all those who are adversely impacted with sexual trauma as I was, should be forced to share a locker room with a biological male,” said former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan, who was forced to share a locker room with male swimmer Lia Thomas.
Like clockwork, the North Carolina chapter of the ACLU disparaged the overrides as discriminatory and began to lay the groundwork for potential legal battles.
“These bills will have devastating effects on trans youth who are already facing multiple barriers. This is a coordinated attack on fundamental freedoms that affect us all: inclusion, bodily autonomy, and our right to privacy,” said Liz Barber of the North Carolina ACLU. “It is shameful that the General Assembly has continued to push this discriminatory agenda. We will continue to advocate for trans youth and protect the freedoms of all North Carolinians.”
However, actual women who have actually been hurt by male athletes competing in female sports should have a say on the issue. Payton McNabb, who suffered long-term injuries from competition with a male athlete “identifying” as a female, is a good example.
“Last fall, I was knocked unconscious after a forceful blow to the head from a volleyball spike by a male on our opponent’s girls’ team,” McNabb said. “The impact of the ball has left me with long-term physical and mental damage, including blurred vision, partial paralysis on my right side, anxiety, and depression.”
“Because of this new law in North Carolina, female athletes — my little sister, my cousins, and my teammates — will no longer be forced to risk injury at the hands of a male opponent,” she added.
McNabb’s story illustrates the real danger that biological males competing against females truly represents. Even the most well-meaning male athlete has the potential to hurt a female athlete in the heat of competition. On this issue, common sense must prevail against the propensity of those who are willing to accept the delusion of transgenderism for the sake of inclusivity.
