STATUS: Passed. Enacted into law 8/16/23 after overriding Governor Cooper’s veto.
we need a fairness in women’s sports act.
Madison Kenyon began training at the age of 14 in cross-country and track. She was a star athlete in middle school and high school and won a full scholarship to Division I Idaho State where she competes in cross country and track. A Montana State transgender woman (biological male) beat her three times, lowering her national ranking. The scholarship provides her with the opportunity to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. If trans athletes had been able to compete in her middle school or high school, that dream might have never been realized.
In October 2022, in Cherokee County, North Carolina a transgender woman (biological male) from the Highlands High volleyball team spiked a ball, hitting a female volleyball player on the Hiwassee Dam High School team in the face. The Hiwassee Dam player suffered severe neck and head injuries, vision problems, a concussion and long-term concussion symptoms. The County School Board directed that all future games in the county against Highlands High be cancelled due to safety concerns.
The Fairness in Women’s Sports (H574 and S631) Protects opportunities for women and girls in athletics by ensuring that women are not forced to compete against biological men on women’s sports teams. House version includes K-12 and colleges and universities; Senate version only includes K-12.