Thu 17 August 2023:
The Republican-led General Assembly overrode North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes of three bills aimed at LGBTQ+ youth on Wednesday (August 16), prohibiting minors from receiving gender-affirming health care, limiting their participation in school sports events, and restricting classroom instruction about gender identity and sexuality.
GOP supermajorities in the House and Senate passed, over Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s opposition, a bill banning medical experts from giving hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs and surgical gender-transition procedures to anyone under the age of 18, with restricted exceptions.
The law that has been passed, will take effect immediately. However, minors who started their treatments before August 1 will be allowed to receive medical care if doctors deem it necessary with parental consent.
After this move, North Carolina, United States has become the 22nd state to pass the legislation that restricts, and bars gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.
However, local LGBTQ+ rights advocates warn of taking the ban to court.
The Senate voted 27-18 to complete the veto override after the House voted 74-45 earlier, as per news agency AP reports.
Democratic Sen. Lisa Grafstein, North Carolina’s only out LGBTQ+ state senator, said the gender-affirming care bill “may be the most heartbreaking bill in a truly heartbreaking session.”
The bill’s primary backer, Republican Sen. Joyce Krawiec, claimed that the state has a responsibility to safeguard kids from receiving potentially irreversible procedures before they are old enough to make an informed medical decision.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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