North Carolina's Republican supermajority has overridden Governor Roy Cooper's veto to enact a trio of anti-trans bills, causing confusion and uncertainty around gender-affirming care. The laws restrict what names and pronouns teachers can use for trans students, which team sports trans girls can participate in, and access to gender-affirming care for trans children. Medical professionals are now prohibited from providing hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs, and surgical gender-transition procedures to anyone under 18, with limited exceptions. The new restrictions have raised questions about the continuation of ongoing care and have prompted families to seek out-of-state options. Advocacy groups are providing resources and emergency grants to support trans youth affected by the legislation.
The North Carolina legislature has overridden the veto of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and passed multiple laws targeting trans youth, including bans on gender-affirming care for minors, trans girls and women in women's sports, and restrictions on teachers discussing gender identity and sexual orientation. This is part of a larger trend of Republican-led states passing anti-trans laws, signaling the GOP's focus on these policies ahead of the 2024 elections. These laws have faced legal challenges and are seen as discriminatory, reinforcing harmful stereotypes and contributing to violence against trans people.
Florida lawmakers have been accused of kidnapping trans children after a defiant protest against anti-trans laws in the House of Representatives. Parents and their children were at the House of Representatives in the state capital, Tallahassee, on Tuesday (18 April) to protest against SB 254, which would see medical professionals banned from providing puberty blockers and hormone therapy to trans minors. During the session, a number of protesters – adults and children – threw underwear on to the lawmakers from the gallery, with messages “not your business” and “leave my genitals alone” written on them.
