In a move that could potentially alter the landscape of transgender rights in North Carolina, the state's Republican-dominated General Assembly is set to challenge Governor Roy Cooper's veto on two controversial bills.
The legislation in question seeks to prohibit sex reassignment health care for minors and restrict transgender participation in school sports.
The State House is slated to hold the initial of two votes on Wednesday afternoon, aimed at overriding the Democratic governor's veto. If successful, this would pave the way for the state Senate to cast a decisive final vote later in the evening, as per the Senate leader's statement.
The first bill under consideration seeks to prevent medical professionals from administering hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs, and surgical gender-transition procedures to individuals under 18, with limited exceptions. Should the veto be overridden, the legislation would be enforced immediately.
If the Republican-led effort to override the veto proves successful, North Carolina would join 21 other states that have enacted legislation restricting or outright banning sex reassignment for minors.
The second bill, also vetoed by the governor, aims to bar transgender girls from participating in girls' middle school, high school, and college sports teams. This legislation is also due for an override vote on Wednesday.
Proponents of the bill argue that such legislation is necessary to safeguard the safety and well-being of young female athletes and to secure scholarship opportunities for them.
Detractors, however, view the bill as discriminatory, arguing that it denies biological males who identify as females the opportunity to participate in sports under their chosen gender.
The Republican Party secured a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers for the first time since 2018, following the announcement by North Carolina state Rep. Tricia Cotham of her switch to the Republican Party in April.
Preliminary votes suggest that Cooper's vetoes of both bills are likely to be overridden.
Local LGBTQ+ groups have pledged to legally challenge the sex reassignment ban, arguing that such irreversible surgery is safe and, in certain cases, medically necessary for minors. This stance is also supported by leading professional health associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the Endocrine Society.
Should the veto be overridden and sex reassignments banned, minors who commenced treatment before August 1 would be permitted to continue receiving care, provided it is deemed medically necessary by their doctors and consent is given by their parents.
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