The North Carolina state legislature voted to override the governor's veto of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, in a powerful show of force for women's rights and state authority.
The legislation, HB 574, bans males who identify as transgender girls from participating in middle school, high school, and college female sports in North Carolina. The House passed the act in a bipartisan 74-45 vote and the Senate followed along in a 27-18 vote on Wednesday night. The law went into effect immediately.
The wide margins emphasize the deep divide between North Carolina's executive and legislative branches. It also reaffirms the power of the legislature to enact laws on behalf of the people when the governor won't.
Reinforcing their power as state legislators, representatives also voted to override two other bills that the governor rejected. The first bill blocks medical professionals from providing hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs, or gender-transition procedures to anyone under 18. The second bill requires teachers to inform parents when their students change their pronouns or question their gender.
The Democrat governor responded to the overrides by saying, "These are the wrong priorities."
The legislative actions make North Carolina the 22nd state to ban gender-transitioning treatments for children. In total, 23 states have enacted legislation prohibiting transgenders from participating in women's sports. A pro-LGBT group tracks which states have implemented bans, which you can see in the map below.
This demonstrates federalism, the ability for states to make decisions on their own without the federal government's involvement. As former Senator Rick Santorum recently said, federalism is the only way for America to survive. North Dakotans should live as they desire, and Californians should live as they wish.
The states have the power to come together as a powerful force against the overreaching policies of the federal government. Through Article V, we can restore federalism and decision-making to the local level. To support the movement, sign the petition below.
