North Carolina legislature overrode Gov. Cooper's veto to enact H574 transgender sports ban

On August 16, 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly overrode Governor Roy Cooper's veto of House Bill 574, the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act," enacting it as Session Law 2023-109. The House voted 74-45 and the Senate 27-18 to override, both largely along party lines, with two Democratic representatives joining Republicans. Cooper had vetoed the measure on July 5, 2023.

The enacted law restricts athletic teams designated for females or women to students whose sex was recorded as female at birth, barring transgender students whose sex was recorded male at birth from competing on those teams at the middle-school, high-school, and collegiate levels in both public and private schools. It defines sex by reproductive biology and anatomy at birth and creates civil causes of action for students harmed by a violation. The restrictions applied for the 2023-2024 school year.

In a statement on the overrides, Cooper said the legislation would "further discriminate" and reflected "the wrong priorities." The law codifies differential treatment of a specific group of students on the basis of gender identity, restricting their participation in publicly and privately organized school athletics.