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Following Other States, NC Has Its Own Anti-Trans Bills

Asheville Citizen-Times
On Wednesday, a North Carolina House Committee will hold a hearing on House Bill 358 which would restrict transgender students from participating in women's sports in schools.

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have joined their colleagues in other states in introducing a bill that would limit healthcare for trans youth.  BPR has a reaction from a local activist...

Two out of the three primary sponsors of Senate Bill 514 – which restricts transitional care for people under the age of 21 - represent Western North Carolina: Senators Warren Daniel and Ralph Hise, of District 46 and 47 respectively.

Tina White, executive director of Blue Ridge Pride Center, calls the bill “fearmongering.”

“I think we have set up a false dichotomy. I don’t think this is trans people vs. religious conservatives, for example. I think this is Christians against Christians and that’s how it ought to be presented,” said White, who identifies as a Christian.

The legislation also advances the false idea that many trans people regret transitioning. A 2015 survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality reported only 8 percent of respondents “detransitioned” at some point – that means at least temporarily going back to their sex assigned at birth.

“That’s what we are facing though, a willful misuse of facts. And a dependence on a public that will trust its leaders rather than reviewing facts,” said White.  

Even if the GOP majorities in the General Assembly pass the bill, it is almost certain to be vetoed by Democratic governor Roy Cooper.  The bill is now in the rules committee.

On Wednesday, a North Carolina House Committee will hold a hearing on another transgender rights bill - HB358 - which would restrict transgender students from participating in female sports in schools.  

Lilly Knoepp is Senior Regional Reporter for Blue Ridge Public Radio. She has served as BPR’s first fulltime reporter covering Western North Carolina since 2018. She is from Franklin, NC. She returns to WNC after serving as the assistant editor of Women@Forbes and digital producer of the Forbes podcast network. She holds a master’s degree in international journalism from the City University of New York and earned a double major from UNC-Chapel Hill in religious studies and political science.
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