NC Senators approve Parents' Bill of Rights legislation

“This bill is critical, it is common sense and it is a safeguard for all of our students,” state Sen. Deanna Ballard, R-Wataugua, said on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Senate Bill 755, which passed the chamber with a 28-18 vote, would ban teachings of sexual orientation or gender identity from curricula for kindergarten through third grade. It would also require schools to notify parents if any student, regardless of grade, begins to question their gender identity in school—such as if a student asks to use a different name or pronoun to describe themselves.

Parents would also need to be notified if a student comes to a teacher or school staff with concerns about mental or emotional health, including any discussion of sexual orientation.

The bill would also ban health care providers from providing any health care, even mental health services, to minors without parental consent, except in an emergency. Violators could be fined $5,000.

The proposed legislation now goes back to the state House. If the chamber approves a Senate amendment to the bill, it then goes to Gov. Roy Cooper, who is expected to veto the bill.

State Sens. Joyce Waddell, D-Mecklenberg; Michael Garrett, D-Guilford; and Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake, spoke Wednesday in opposition to the measure.

“It’s wrong for North Carolina,” Chaudhuri said. “Yes, we need parents to be involved in their kids’ education. … We can do that without targeting our most vulnerable students. We can do better.”

The session was also interrupted by protestors who chanted from the balcony: "We're here. We're queer. We're not going anywhere." At least one protester was escorted out of the chamber.

Opponents say full passage of House Bill 755 would mean schools would no longer be a safe place for LGBTQ+ students to discuss gender identity and sexual orientation. They also say it could force students into coming out to their families before they are ready. That could be problematic for students whose families aren't accepting, they say.

LGBTQ+ youth are at greater risk of homelessness, according to Child Trends, a nonprofit research organization.

According to a national survey by the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ student advocacy group and crisis hotline, 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in 2021, and 14% attempted suicide. The survey also found that 60% of LGBTQ youth wanted mental health care but didn’t get it in the past year. Among that group, 48% said they didn't get care because they feared discussing mental health concerns, while 45% cited concerns with obtaining parent or caregiver permission.

LGBTQ+ advocates protest amid Senate vote on Parents' Bill of Rights legislation

The bill has drawn comparisons to HB2, the so-called bathroom bill, a 2016 law signed by former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory that required people to use the restroom of the gender assigned at their birth at public schools and government buildings. The law, which was seen by opponents as discriminatory toward transgender people, prompted several organizations to cancel big events or major expansions in the state.

"This proposal right now is nothing but HB2, classroom edition," Garrett said Wednesday.

Those pushing the legislation say parents have a right to know these things and that the bill is meant to keep parents involved and in charge of what's happening with their children.

“Some people in this room today have said some things that this a bill about bigotry, and I guess you’re kind of reciting the provision that talks about sexual orientation and gender identity,” said Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover. “It shouldn’t be included in the curriculum for 5-, 6-, 7- and—in some instances—8-year-olds. It can’t be part of the curriculum.

“If it comes up in a classroom, it can be discussed. If you’re doing family trees and someone has two moms or two dads, it can be discussed, but it can’t be embedded in the curriculum. It’s not something we teach 5-, 6-,7- and 8-year-olds.”

In a statement Wednesday following the Senate vote, Ballard added: "We know that children perform better in school when their parents are involved in their education. By allowing parents to review instructional materials like textbooks, parents can take a more active role in their child's education. Schools shouldn't be withholding information from parents about their child's well-being. This bill establishes transparency as the new norm in education."

Earlier on Wednesday, advocacy groups Equality North Carolina, El Centro Hispano and El Pueblo leaders held a news conference at the Capitol building to voice their opposition to the bill.

“We are counting on Governor Cooper to veto, and we are counting on legal action to continue to fight against this bill because it is laser-focused on LGBTQ youth,” Equality North Carolina Executive Director Kendra Johnson said.