North Carolina’s Democrat Governor Josh Stein has VETOED a bill that simply affirms what every sane American already knows: that there are only two genders — male and female.
The House Bill 805, passed by the state legislature, sought to “to officially recognize two sexes in North Carolina, to prevent the sexual exploitation of women and minors, to limit the use of state funding, to modify the law related to birth certificates, to modify the law related to civil remedies for gender transition procedures on non-minors, to allow students with religious objections to be excused from certain classroom discussions or activities, and to allow parent access to library books and to provide for restrictions on school sleeping quarters.”
But instead of standing with science and sanity, Governor Stein caved to the radical transgender lobby and vetoed the legislation on Thursday.
Stein said,
“The initial version of House Bill 805 protected people from being exploited on pornographic websites against their will. I strongly support that policy, which is a continuation of my work to protect children from sex abuse, modernize our sex crime statutes to address artificial intelligence, and eliminate the largest backlog of untested rape kits in the country. Instead of preventing sexual exploitation, the General Assembly chooses to engage in divisive, job-killing culture wars.
North Carolina has been down this road before, and it is a dead end. My faith teaches me that we are all children of God, no matter our differences, and that it is wrong to target vulnerable people, as this legislation does. I stand ready to work with the legislature when it gets serious about protecting people, instead of mean-spirited attempts to further divide us by marginalizing vulnerable North Carolinians.”
In addition to vetoing HB 805, Gov. Stein struck down three more bills targeting DEI initiatives: Senate Bill 227 (banning DEI in K–12 schools), Senate Bill 558 (eliminating DEI in public higher education), and House Bill 171 (prohibiting DEI positions and programs in state and local government).
More from Queen City News:
Senate Bill 558: An act to demonstrate the General Assembly’s intent that students, professors, administrators, and other employees of public institutions of higher education recognize the equality and right of all persons and to prohibit public institutions of higher education from promoting certain concepts that are contrary to that intent.
Gov. Stein’s objections and veto message: “Our diversity is our strength. We should not whitewash history, police dorm room conversations, or ban books. Rather than fearing differing viewpoints and cracking down on free speech, we should ensure our students learn from diverse perspectives and form their own opinions.”
Senate Bill 227: An act to remonstrate the General Assembly’s intent that students, teachers, administrators, and other school employees recognize the equality and rights of all persons and to prohibit public school units from promoting certain concepts that are contrary to that intent.
Gov. Stein’s objections and veto message: “Our diversity is our strength. We should not whitewash history, ban books, or treat our teachers with distrust and disdain. Rather than fearing differing viewpoints and cracking down on free speech, we should ensure our students can learn from diverse perspectives and form their own opinions.”
House Bill 171: An act eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in state and local government and clarifying the penalty provisions of the state budget act and local government budget and fiscal control act.
Gov. Stein’s objections and veto message: “The people of North Carolina deserve the best possible state government. My administration is focused on building the strongest team possible by hiring and supporting the best employees. We cannot recruit and retain them without creating a welcoming work environment. We make our most effective decisions when there is a diverse set of perspectives around the table. House Bill 171 is riddled with vague definitions yet imposes extreme penalties for unknowable violations. This bill will make it harder for state government to provide the highest quality of service.”
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