North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein vetoed four Republican-backed bills this week targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and gender-related policies in a move GOP leaders say bows to “radical ideology” and ignores the concerns of ordinary citizens.
“At a time when teachers, law enforcement, and state employees need pay raises, and people need shorter lines at the DMV, the legislature failed to pass a budget and, instead, wants to distract us by stoking culture wars that further divide us,” Stein said in a statement. “These mean-spirited bills would marginalize vulnerable people and also undermine the quality of public services and public education. Therefore, I am vetoing them. I stand ready to work with the legislature when it gets serious about protecting people and addressing North Carolinians’ pressing concerns.”
The three DEI-related bills, Senate Bill 227, Senate Bill 558, and House Bill 171, aimed to restrict or eliminate DEI-related hiring practices and programs in state agencies, local governments, and schools. A fourth bill, House Bill 805, contained provisions to restrict state-funded sex change surgeries for inmates and to define sex as binary on state documents legally.
With the anti-DEI bills — Senate Bill 227, Senate Bill 558 and House Bill 171 — the GOP-led state legislature sought to eliminate what it called “discriminatory practices” in public education with threats to cut funding and to prevent local and state government agencies from promoting or maintaining DEI programs or policies.
State Republican leaders blasted Stein’s vetoes as politically motivated and out of step with public sentiment. State Senate Leader Republican Phil Berger hit the governor on X.
The State House Speaker also struck out at the governor:
By vetoing that measure, House Speaker Destin Hall said in a release, Stein “has sided with radical activists over the overwhelming majority of North Carolinians who believe in parental rights, biological reality, and protecting women and children.”
The transgender-related legislation, which began as a bipartisan anti-exploitation bill, drew backlash after lawmakers added language restricting sex change procedures and codifying a two-sex definition into state records.
The transgender bill began as a bipartisan measure to curb sexual exploitation by enforcing age verification and consent rules for pornography websites. But lawmakers later added controversial provisions, including a ban on state-funded gender-affirming procedures for prisoners. It also affirms the recognition of two sexes and requires the state to officially attach a transgender person’s new birth certificate to their old one if they change their sex assigned at birth.
Stein defended his decision, invoking both his faith and belief in inclusivity.
“My faith teaches me that we are all children of God no matter our differences and that it is wrong to target vulnerable people, as this bill does.”
Despite bipartisan support for parts of the fourth bill, Stein’s veto drew criticism from GOP lawmakers for what they saw as caving to ideological pressure.
Stein criticized the Republican-controlled legislature for focusing on these measures while they’ve yet to enact a budget for the fiscal year that started this week. Instead, Stein said in a news release, it “wants to distract us by stoking culture wars that further divide us. These mean-spirited bills would marginalize vulnerable people and also undermine the quality of public services and public education.”
The bills now return to the North Carolina General Assembly, where Republicans may attempt to override the vetoes later this month. They remain just one seat shy of a veto-proof majority in the House.
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