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U.S. NEWS Thursday 17 augusT 2023

N. Carolina House completes 1st half of veto override on gender-

affirming care ban for minors

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM diatrics, the American Med-
Associated Press/Report for ical Association and the En-
America docrine Society. While trans
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A minors very rarely receive
GOP supermajority in the surgical interventions, they
North Carolina House vot- are commonly prescribed
ed Wednesday to override drugs to delay puberty
the Democratic governor's and sometimes begin tak-
veto of legislation to ban ing hormones before they
gender-affirming treat- reach adulthood.
ments for transgender mi- Parents of transgender and
nors, putting those youth nonbinary children, like Eliz-
just a vote away from losing abeth Waugh of Orange
access to that care. County, said they have
The vote followed by mere been considering whether
minutes an earlier vote by to move their families out of
the chamber overriding North Carolina so their chil-
Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of dren will have unrestricted
another bill banning trans- access to gender-affirming
gender girls from playing care. Waugh's nonbinary
on girls' sports teams from child did not begin receiv-
middle and high school ing treatment before Aug.
through college. 1 and would need to travel
House lawmakers voted Heather Redding, left, and Elizabeth Waugh, of Orange County, North Carolina, rally for transgender elsewhere if they decide
73-46 to surmount Cooper's rights outside the state Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. they want to start taking
Associated Press
veto of the bill that would hormones.
bar medical professionals bill on the House floor. "Just vote, the Senate complet- veto-proof GOP majority as "I have felt like I had a lump
— with limited exceptions stop it," he begged his Re- ed the first half of an over- the House. If Republicans in in my throat for months,"
— from providing hormone publican colleagues shortly ride vote on a bill requir- the Senate succeed as ex- Waugh said Wednesday
therapy, puberty-blocking before they voted to enact ing public school teachers pected, they would make before the House vote.
drugs and surgical gender- the law. The House vote left in most circumstances to North Carolina the 22nd "Just talking to other fami-
transition procedures to North Carolina one vote alert parents before they state to enact legislation lies who are dealing with
anyone under 18. Minors away from becoming the call a student by a differ- restricting or banning gen- this, I mean, the pain that
who began treatment be- latest state to ban gender- ent name or pronoun. It der-affirming medical care they are feeling, the suffer-
fore Aug. 1 could continue affirming health care for would also prohibit instruc- for trans minors. Many of ing, the fear for their chil-
receiving that care under transgender youth. Votes tion about gender identity those laws are facing court dren — it's devastating."
parental consent if their were also expected on and sexuality in K-4 class- challenges and advocates Local LGBTQ+ rights ad-
doctors deem it medically both measures in the Sen- rooms, which critics have have promised similar chal- vocates had been brac-
necessary. ate later Wednesday to likened to the Florida law lenges in North Carolina. ing for House and Senate
Democratic state Rep. enact the legislation over that opponents call "Don't Gender-affirming care is override votes expected
John Autry of Mecklen- Cooper's vetoes. Say Gay." The Senate im- considered safe and medi- Wednesday. They said the
burg County, who has a But the Senate's first action mediately sent the bill to cally necessary by the were expecting both bills
transgender grandchild, late Wednesday afternoon the House for a final vote leading professional health would become law and
choked up while debating was on another veto over- Wednesday night. associations, including the have vowed to challenge
the gender-affirming care ride bid entirely. In a 27-18 The Senate has a similarly American Academy of Pe- them in court.q

Court watchdog files complaint against a judge who ordered

‘religious-liberty training’ for lawyers

Associated Press Fix the Court, a small, non- objecting to abortion. The
A court watchdog has filed partisan group known conservative ADF has rep-
a complaint against the mostly for monitoring the resented clients opposing
federal judge who ordered U.S. Supreme Court, filed abortion, same-sex mar-
"religious-liberty training" the judicial-misconduct pe- riages and transgender
for a trio of Southwest Air- tition Tuesday with the 5th rights. "Starr's order sets a
lines lawyers as part of their Circuit Court of Appeal in dangerous precedent, and
punishment for not fully fol- New Orleans. he deserves sanctions him-
lowing his orders in a case The group's executive di- self for this awful judgment
involving speech about rector, Gabe Roth, took call," he said.
abortion. particular aim at the Dal- The judge ordered the
The leader of Fix the Court las judge's selection of Alli- training after Southwest
says U.S. District Judge ance Defending Freedom changed the language
Brantley Starr's choice of to conduct day-long train- of a notice that he or-
training conducted by a ing for three Southwest law- dered sent to employees
Christian legal-advocacy yers in a case involving a to explain the legal pro- Southwest Airlines plane prepares to land at Midway International
group is "strange and un- flight attendant who said hibition against religious Airport, Feb. 12, 2023, in Chicago.
precedented." she was fired for comments discrimination.q Associated Press