Active North Carolina house bills could impact the LGBTQ+ community. Lines are clearly being drawn on both sides of the debate over House Bill 574 and House Bill 673.
House Bill 574 would prohibit transgender girls from playing on female sports teams. Similarly worded bills regarding transgender female athletes are passed in both the House and Senate.
House Bill 673 restricts live adult entertainment, which would prohibit drag performances in public places, and in the presence of anyone under the age of 18.
The bill states that anyone who fails to follow the law could be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor.
Lawmakers were joined by NCAA Champion Riley Gaines, a D1 swimmer from the University of Kentucky. She spoke out against the idea of transgender women competing in sports. She called the bill common sense and said for her, it hit close to home.
But others said these claims couldn’t be farther from the truth. Liz Schob with Charlotte Pride said these bills are harmful to the LGBTQ+ community and called this bill transphobic.
Schob said, “This is 2023, sexism is so tired, and the idea that someone’s performance is boiled down to their sex or their gender identity is a very tired narrative.”
If passed, the entertainment bill will go into effect in December of 2023, and the women and girls athletic bill for the 2023-2024 school year.
