Earlier this month, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein vetoed House Bill 805, a bill that would codify sex-based definitions of “male” and “female” into state law. With his veto, Stein turns his back on vulnerable young people like me and jeopardizes the safety of those who have been led to believe they can change their sex characteristics.
By the young age of just 16 years old, I had started socially transitioning to appear as a boy. At 17, I started testosterone injections. A plastic surgeon in North Carolina cut off my healthy breasts when I was 18. My doctors said this was the only way to treat my mental illness.
Following in the footsteps of President Donald Trump’s “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” executive order, HB805 clearly defines sex-based terms like “female” and “girl” based on biological sex and prevents state funds from going toward the mutilation of minors under the guise of so-called “gender-affirming care.”
I’ve seen the harms of “gender-affirming” procedures and gender ideology firsthand. After I read about transgenderism online and saw a “gender specialist,” I was fast-tracked for medicalization. When the various procedures I was subjected to didn’t help me, I detransitioned and was left to navigate the aftermath alone. Now, I’ll never have the ability to breastfeed my son, my voice is permanently lowered, and my health is a constant battle.
Gov. Stein could have been the first Democratic governor to sign legislation aimed at protecting young adults like me. Instead, he refused to break ranks with his party and the other Democratic governors who have vetoed similar legislation in other states, setting the bill – and vulnerable children – back.
Now, the issue returns to the North Carolina Legislature, where lawmakers have the opportunity to override Stein’s dangerous veto and send a message to struggling youth that their voices have been heard and that their physical and mental well-being will not be sacrificed for the sake of ideology.
If North Carolina lawmakers choose to take this stand – overriding the governor’s veto of HB805 – they will join 17 other states that have adopted laws inspired by Independent Women’s Voice’s sex-definition model, making it clear that states will not sacrifice the truth, or children, for ideology.
Gender ideology has harmed far too many young adults. From detransitioners like me to female athletes forced to compete against trans-identifying males, our youth deserve to be protected.
For the sake of the millions of children who live in North Carolina, I hope the Legislature overrides Gov. Stein’s veto. My story should never have happened. And if this bill passes, North Carolinians are a step closer to ensuring it never happens again.
