WEDNESDAY: NC House Committee to Hear Anti-Transgender Student Athletics Bill
On Wednesday, April 14, the North Carolina House Judiciary 1 Committee will hold a hearing on HB358, a bill that would restrict transgender students from participating in school sports at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels. The hearing will be held at 12:00pm ET in Room 643 LOB. The hearing will also be livestreamed.
Advocates who oppose HB358 and support transgender students will be available to speak about the bill. These North Carolinians are available for comment and will attend the hearing on Wednesday – please be in touch if you would like to arrange an interview:
Katie Jenifer – Katie (she/her) is the mother of a transgender teenager in Carrboro, NC. Katie and her daughter, who is an athlete, will attend the hearing.
Dr. Deanna Adkins – Dr. Adkins (she/her) is a pediatric endocrinologist at the Duke Child and Adolescent Gender Care Clinic.
Asher McKinney-Ring – Asher (he/him) is a transgender student and an athlete.
North Carolinians from across the state are also able to speak with media remotely:
Justin Sykes – Justin (he/him) is a transgender man, a student at Appalachian State University, and a former student athlete.
Kendra R. Johnson – Kendra (she/her) is the Executive Director of Equality NC.
Allison Scott – Allison (she/her) is the Director of Impact & Innovation at the Campaign for Southern Equality.
Rebby Kern – Rebby (they/them) is the Director of Education Policy at Equality NC.
Kendra R. Johnson, Executive Director of Equality NC, said today:
“The truth is that HB358 is purporting to address a manufactured problem: transgender youth have played sports consistent with their gender identity for a long time, and they deserve every opportunity to participate in student athletics as cisgender youth. North Carolina lawmakers are doing damage to our communities -- and our state -- by drawing our children into this false nationwide hysteria over trans kids playing sports. Lawmakers should work to protect the constituents that they were elected to represent. We cannot legislate the transgender community out of existence.”
Allison Scott, Director of Impact & Innovation at the Campaign for Southern Equality, said today:
“This bill is about more than depriving young people of the ability to play sports – it’s about blocking already-vulnerable trans youth from making friends, learning teamwork, and accessing the social, physical, and emotional benefits of athletics. It’s about the state attacking trans youth’s basic autonomy, singling them out, and telling them they don’t belong. I say this to trans youth: You belong everywhere, and we will never stop fighting until the laws in North Carolina make you feel welcome, included, and safe, no matter what.”