Last week, in the middle of Pride Month, the North Carolina Senate Education committee passed an amended version of HB 574, a trans sports bill that will have a vote TODAY in the Senate. This legislation is a direct attack on the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender young people. This bill bans trans and intersex kids from participating in athletics, depriving them of the mental and physical benefits of sports. Unlike a similar bill that only applied to middle and high schools, HB 574 applies to higher education, including all public and private colleges and universities in North Carolina.
URGENT ACTION NEEDED TODAY, June 20!
H574 - "Fairness in Women's Sports" - will have a vote on the Senate floor TODAY, Tuesday, June 20, 9am.
SB631 “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” will be heard in House Health today at 10:00am. This bill will now include a committee substitute that bans gender-affirming care, “prevents public healthcare facilities or provider employed by or under contract with a public healthcare facility, to perform surgical gender transition procedure on a minor or to provide or dispense puberty-blocking drugs or cross-sex hormones to a minor.”
Please watch this video from CBS News that shares a story of a North Carolina youth and family and covers the critical nature of this life-saving care and the ways our youth are being harmed by these terrible laws.
As social workers, it is our ethical responsibility to advocate against this bill, and all anti-LGBTQ+ bills currently under consideration in the North Carolina legislature. We must stand in solidarity now, when our most marginalized are targeted, and continue to mobilize our community in resistance to all forms of hate, stigma, and discrimination.
At all times, but especially during this Pride Month, let us harness the energy and love that fills the air to amplify our voices in support of trans youth in our community. It is our collective responsibility to hold our legislators accountable when they specifically target trans youth because this bill is not about sports, it is an opening to attack transgender and intersex individual’s right to exist.
Please take immediate action by contacting your legislators and sharing your personal stories. Let them know how this will impact the mental health of North Carolina's youth. Let them know that we will not tolerate discrimination against transgender youth.
Here are some talking points from our partners at EqualityNC to help you express your concerns about the anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the legislature right now:
Trans-exclusive policies deprive transgender and intersex youth of the physical and mental benefits of participating in sports, and lead to lower self-esteem, increased depression rates and higher school absenteeism.
Research shows that trans women and girls do not have an inherent advantage in sports, and there is no evidence to support the claim that allowing transgender athletes to participate will reduce or harm participation in girls’ sports.
Banning gender-affirming care makes it impossible for trans youth to access the life-saving medical care they need and will endanger youth.
Drag bans are a clear violation of our first amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of expression and another attempt to remove queer and trans people from public life. Drag is an art form, not a crime.
Use this link from our partners at EqualityNC (https://p2a.co/uGGaZop) to easily contact your legislators and let them know where you stand. Together, we can make a lasting impact and ensure that North Carolina remains a safe and inclusive place for all.
Please share this email with your networks and encourage others to take action as well.
Thank you to the members of NASW-NC for supporting the advocacy work we do. We would not be able to advocate for the social work profession or social justice issues in North Carolina without a robust and engaged NASW membership. If you are a social worker and not a member, we ask that you join NASW today. Our voice is louder with your membership.