A rehash of the 2016 bathroom bill could be up for debate in the North Carolina General Assembly, Democrat lawmakers warned during a press conference held Tuesday.
Senate Republicans filed the Women’s Safety and Protection Act on Tuesday, which would mandate that public facilities be used only by individuals of the same biological sex at the same time, except for specific situations like family use or emergencies. The bill defines key terms such as “biological sex,” “male,” and “female” in state law and applies the definitions to spaces like restrooms, locker rooms, and sleeping quarters in places such as schools, prisons, and domestic violence shelters.
In addition to facility access, the bill also impacts legal document updates, restricting the ability of transgender individuals to change the sex designation on birth certificates and driver’s licenses.
While the latest bill is not an exact copy of the infamous House Bill 2 — the political reaction to which previously caused national controversy and economic backlash — it is similar in that it focuses on safety and privacy by restricting access to public spaces based on sex.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Democrats expressed concern over the new Senate proposal that further restricting “transgender rights.”
“I think that the Trump administration setting this standard has really trickled down here to the General Assembly, and it has been like that for a while, but it’s only getting worse,” said Rep. Julie von Haefen, D-Wake. “And I think the bill that somebody mentioned this rehash of HB 2, which I think has some different language, but that’s just an example of, didn’t we learn our lesson? You know, when HB 2 was originally in the state how much damage it caused, and now we’re just bringing it up again, rehashing it again, just to attack people for no reason.”
Democratic representatives criticized the bill as an attack on marginalized communities while singling out white, cisgender males. Citing the damaging legacy of HB2, they emphasized the need to focus on broader issues such as healthcare and economic development.
Though the bathroom bill of eight years ago led to partisan political upheaval, at the time polls indicated that a majority of North Carolinians “somewhat agreed” or “strongly agreed” that transgender people should use the bathroom that matches their biological sex, not that of their gender identity, citing security risks to women and children.
Following 2016, support for social issues such as gender identity debates waxed, then waned.
Several speakers Tuesday, including LGBTQ+ advocates, linked the resurgence of anti-transgender policies to national trends fueled by the Trump administration, warning that these efforts perpetuate fear and division. They argued that attacks on transgender individuals ultimately harm everyone and urged collective action to protect human rights.
According to Pew Research Center, Americans have become more supportive of laws that limit protections for trans people – and less supportive of laws aimed at safeguarding them.
In polling conducted last month, Pew found more Americans now say they favor or strongly favor laws and policies that require transgender people to use public bathrooms that match their sex at birth, among other recent policies.
