Old North News

Tami Fitzgerald, Executive Director of North Carolina Values Coalition, took to Twitter Wednesday to express her disappointment in North Carolina Gov. Cooper for vetoing the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act". The vetoing of the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act" and several other bills has sparked uproar among some citizens in North Carolina.

"I’m not the one who has to go to sleep tonight with this on my conscience," Fitzgerald tweeted.

Cooper released a statement on Wednesday attributing his decision to Republicans instigating "political culture wars", according to a press release.

"We don’t need politicians inflaming their political culture wars by making broad, uninformed decisions about an extremely small number of vulnerable children that are already handled by a robust system that relies on parents, schools and sports organizations," the governor said. "Republican governors in other states have vetoed similar bills because they hurt their states’ reputation and economy and because they are neither fair nor needed."

Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines tweeted about the veto, alongside a video illustrating an incident where a woman suffered an injury during a volleyball game. "Governor Cooper of NC vetoed the Fairness in Women's Sports Act today," Gaines wrote. "Hey Gov, a reminder that this happened to a girl in your state. She is partially paralyzed on her right side, and her vision is still impaired. It's not me who has to go to sleep tonight knowing I'm enabling this."

The goal of the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act" is to prevent "transgender" females from playing in sports with biological females in middle school, high school and college sports. The bill passed the House last month, with a vote of 62-43. It is speculated that state Republicans will aim to override Cooper's veto, which would make North Carolina one of 22 other states that have enacted similar legislation, according to station WCNC.