The Republican-led North Carolina Legislature overrode a governor’s veto to pass a law that recognizes male and female by biological definitions, and safeguards the rights of women, minors, and parents in sex-segregated spaces and in public schools.
The veto override of House Bill 805 on Tuesday passed the North Carolina House, 72-48, with help from several Democratic lawmakers, and the state Senate, 30-19, in defiance of Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat and former state attorney general.
Among other things, the bill also:
- allows students with religious objections to opt out of certain classroom discussions or activities,
- allows parents access to school library books,
- prohibits tax dollars from paying for gender transition procedures for prisoners,
- increases the statute of liability to 10 years for civil suits over gender transition surgeries for adults,
- requires online platforms to verify the age and consent of anyone featured in pornographic content—a move intended to curb the exploitation of girls and women.
“We applaud the North Carolina House and Senate for taking this needed and commonsense step to protect women and girls, and to reaffirm parental rights in our state,” said NC Values Coalition Executive Director Tami Fitzgerald. “North Carolina needed to define two sexes by biology in the law so that women are not robbed of safety, dignity, and opportunities. … And we needed to give parents the ability to opt-out of educational materials that conflict with their beliefs and protect their children from exposure to sexually explicit content in schools. We’d like to thank the General Assembly for taking bold action this session to ensure that families in our state have the best conditions to thrive and flourish.”
Stein, meanwhile, criticized the bill as “mean-spirited” toward vulnerable people.
David Closson, director of Family Research Council’s Center for Biblical Worldview, said the governor is mistaken.
“Scripture is clear that every person is made in the image of God and therefore possesses inherent dignity and worth (Genesis 1:27),” Closson said. “This law doesn’t target vulnerable people, it protects them.
“It stops the use of taxpayer funds for irreversible and experimental procedures in prisons. It defends the rights of parents to know and guide what their children are being taught about gender and sexuality. It ensures that public records remain tethered to biological reality. … Far from being harmful, this legislation reflects a commitment to justice, truth, and the common good. That’s what civil government is supposed to do (Romans 13:1-4).”
It was the second time in three years that the state’s GOP majority defied the will of a sitting Democratic governor. In 2023, Republican lawmakers overrode the veto of then Gov. Roy Cooper to pass House Bill 808, which outlawed gender transition procedures for minors and banned the use of state funds to subsidize such procedures.
