Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has made it abundantly clear where his priorities lie—and it’s not with parents, young girls, or the overwhelming majority of citizens who expect basic common sense from their elected leaders. In a series of vetoes and public comments, Cooper has chosen to stand with radical gender ideology, prioritizing the preferences of activist groups over the safety, rights, and voices of North Carolina families.
During a 2023 press conference, Cooper claimed that lawmakers should avoid addressing transgender issues “on an economic basis,” arguing that staying out of “culture wars” gives North Carolina an edge in business recruitment over states like Florida and Texas. In other words, for Cooper, economic optics matter more than standing up for biological reality or protecting children. He made no mention of the actual content of the legislation—just that such issues might be bad PR for his corporate recruitment goals.
When North Carolina Republicans introduced commonsense legislation to protect girls’ sports—ensuring that only biological females could compete in women’s athletic competitions—Cooper vetoed it. He accused Republicans of engaging in political "culture wars" and dismissed the effort as unnecessary, despite growing concerns nationwide about fairness in female athletics.
Fortunately, the General Assembly had the backbone to override his veto, passing the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act into law in August 2023. The bill protects the integrity of girls’ sports by keeping biological males out of female competitions—something supported by majorities across political lines. Cooper stood in opposition.
Cooper didn’t stop there. He also vetoed House Bill 808, which would ban gender transition procedures—like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and irreversible surgeries—for minors. In his veto message, he parroted left-wing talking points about politicians in exam rooms and claimed that "doctors should decide." Never mind that between 2017 and 2021, at least 776 mastectomies and 56 genital surgeries were performed on minors in the U.S., and over 14,700 children began hormone treatments, according to a Reuters investigation. These are not “culture wars”—they’re real, life-altering medical procedures being pushed on vulnerable children, often with little oversight or long-term understanding of the consequences.
And once again, the legislature had to step in to override Cooper’s veto and protect kids in North Carolina from dangerous, irreversible medical experimentation.
Cooper’s loyalty to woke ideology was also on full display when he vetoed the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which affirms that parents have the right to know what’s happening in their child’s school—especially when it comes to issues of gender identity. One key provision requires schools to notify parents if their child asks to change their name or pronouns. Cooper absurdly labeled the bill “Don’t Say Gay” and claimed it undermines the role of educators, as if keeping parents in the dark is somehow a virtue.
Again, the legislature overrode his veto.
This pattern is unmistakable: Roy Cooper talks about “avoiding culture wars,” but it’s his refusal to side with parents, protect girls, and safeguard children from irreversible medical procedures that’s fueling the cultural divide. He’s not keeping the state out of the culture war—he’s choosing a side. And it’s not the side of common sense or the Constitution. It’s the side of activists who believe parents should be sidelined and the biological truth ignored.