NC Family Staff | April 20, 2023 | SHARE: 
Today, the North Carolina Senate passed SB 631—Fairness in Women’s Sports Act by a party-line vote of 29-18, with all Republicans supporting the bill and all Democrats opposing it. This comes after the bill made its way through two separate Senate committees earlier in the week.
Sponsored by Sens. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon), Joyce Krawiec (R-Forsyth), and Vickie Sawyer (R-Iredell), this bill is designed to protect the health and safety of female athletes at the middle and high school level and preserve the integrity of girls’ and women’s sports. It directs that sports teams shall either be male, female, or co-ed, to be determined on the basis of a student’s biological sex at birth. As such, it would prohibit biological males who identify as female from participating on female sports teams.
A similar bill, House Bill 574, passed the N.C. House on Wednesday after being approved by two separate committees that same day. One primary difference between the House and Senate bills is that HB 574 would also apply to collegiate sports, in addition to middle and high school.
The bills now cross paths at the General Assembly, as the House bill has been sent to the Senate, and the Senate bill has been sent to the House. It is anticipated that lawmakers will choose to move forward on one of the bills, pass it, and then send it to Governor Roy Cooper. If the Governor vetoes the bill, it will have to return to the General Assembly for an override vote. Fortunately, both chambers passed the bill by veto-proof supermajorities.
TAKE ACTION: You can urge your State House and State Senate members to support Fairness in Women’s Sports by visiting NC Family’s Action Center and sending an email to your state lawmakers.
You can also learn more about SB 631, HB 574, and related news by reading our recent articles below:
State House Committees Approve “Fairness In Women’s Sports Act”
SCOTUS Refuses To Uphold WV Law Protecting Girls’ Sports
State Senate Committee Approves “Fairness In Women’s Sports Act”
Bills Seek To Address Gender Dysphoria And Sexual Identity Issues
