In line with Trump, North Carolina legislature takes aim at transgender rights

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Legislation much in line with President Donald Trump’s political agenda on transgender rights squeezed through the North Carolina Senate this week, as state lawmakers prepare for their anticipated summer recess by the week’s end.

A measure approved Tuesday — despite heightened tensions in the Senate — offers protections for women and minors in pornography but had various provisions related to transgender people tacked on in a Senate committee last week. In its original form, the bill passed unanimously through the House last month before the changes, which caused a stir among Democrats who have said the bill was hijacked.

“It didn’t just distract from the problem, they made it impossible to solve,” Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch said on the chamber floor Tuesday.

The other bill passed Monday, entitled the Parents Protections Act, blocks certain abuse and neglect charges for parents raising transgender children. That bill was sent to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s desk for his impending veto or approval. But the bill is on track to become law even if Stein vetoes it as previous Democratic support in the House will give Republicans the supermajority necessary to override a veto.

Among the many priorities unveiled by the Trump administration over the past six months, pressing back against the rights and recognition of transgender people has been at the forefront. The administration’s policies include restricting passport sex markers for many transgender people, signing off on an executive order to recognize just two sexes and banning transgender troops — actions that had mixed approval from Americans as of last month.

The bills passed by the Senate reinforce the Trump administration’s attitude toward transgender issues. But they are also an extension of legislation already approved in North Carolina. Last legislative session, the GOP-dominated General Assembly cleared bills that largely banned gender-affirming care for minors and transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports at the middle school, high school and collegiate levels.

Tuesday’s approved bill includes an array of provisions pertaining to transgender people, such as disallowing state-funded gender transition procedures or gender-affirming hormone therapy for prisoners. It also requires the state to officially attach a transgender person’s new birth certificate to their old one if they change their sex assigned at birth, as well as affirms Trump’s executive order recognizing only two sexes.

Republican Sen. Buck Newton said the reason for pushing the bill with new provisions was to address the issue of women being “systemically erased from our language.” He referenced terms such as “pregnant person” as evidence of that.

In the bill’s original form that passed through the House, it solely focused on curbing sexual exploitation of women and minors by implementing age verification and consent requirements for people who appear on pornography websites. It also outlines a process to remove content from those websites if a performer requests it, regardless of age and consent.

While those provisions remain in the bill, many Senate Democrats expressed their dissatisfaction by sending forth a barrage of amendments and abstaining from voting while remaining in the chamber — a rare move used in protest. The parliamentary maneuvers caused discussion on the bill to last over two hours, but it ultimately passed.

Because the bill was changed in the Senate, it must now go back to House to approve of the alterations before it can go to the governor’s desk.

The Parents Protections Act would shield parents, guardians and caregivers from being cited for child abuse or neglect because they “raise a juvenile consistent with the juvenile’s biological sex,” according to the legislation. That includes making reference to the child, as well as making mental health or medical decisions, based on their sex assigned at birth.

Adoptive agencies also wouldn’t be permitted to deny someone from adopting a child because of their unwillingness to allow the child to transition.

Nine House Democrats voted in favor of the legislation last week, meaning a potential veto from Stein would easily be overridden if those margins remain and allow the bill to become law.