Do parents need more say over library books? NC bill focuses on schools, gender

Ronni Butts, Keung Hui and Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, The Charlotte Observer on Jun 24, 2025

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The North Carolina state Senate has approved a bill that expands the rights of parents to object to school library books and assignments that clash with their beliefs.

House Bill 805, which has gone through substantial changes since its inception, also bans the use of state funding to pay for health care for transgender prison inmates, among other changes aimed at LGBTQ+ people. And the measure sparked heated debate on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon.

The Republican-backed bill amassed opposition from Democratic lawmakers.

The bill, called “Prevent Sexual Exploitation/Women and Minors,” originally started as legislation that was unanimously passed by the House to prevent the exploitation of women and children by requiring a person’s consent before their image could be displayed on a pornographic website. But the Senate added multiple sections to the bill, including:

—Requiring school boards to excuse students from classroom activities or discussions if they or their parents cite a religious objection.

—Allowing parents to create a list of school library books that their children are not allowed to borrow.

—Requiring school districts to create a searchable online database where anyone from the public can see what books are in each school’s library.

—Declaring that the state recognizes only two sexes and that gender identity will not be recognized the same legally or biologically as sex.

—Preventing state funds from being used for gender-transition surgeries for anyone in the state prison system.

—Extending the deadline to file malpractice lawsuits related to gender-affirming care for adults.

The legislature has previously restricted gender-affirming care for minors.

The bill returns to the House to see if members support the Senate’s additions.

Sen. Buck Newton, a Wilson Republican, told the Senate that he supports the bill because he wants to send a message to make sure that women know that they “exist and they are supported in North Carolina.”

“We all have to recognize that women are being systemically erased from our language,“ Newton said in reference to the increasing prevalence of terms like “pregnant person” and other gender-neutral language.

“We cannot ignore biological realities,” Newton said.

During a vote to pass the bill, 20 Democrats voted as “present” rather than voting “aye” or “no,” leading to a tense debate about the legality of the move. Democratic Leader Sydney Batch referenced Chapter 120-7 of the North Carolina General Statutes stating that their actions constituted a fine of $10 per senator. She then presented $10 bills on behalf of each senator to pay the fine.

“This was our stance to make it very clear that it may not be a situation where we can win every single fight, but we are going to gauge it, and when you meet us with that energy, we are going to return it in the exact same thing,” Batch told The News & Observer.

Batch said last week that, among a number of objections from Democrats, the bill could allow a parent who doesn’t believe in evolution for religious reasons to opt their children out of assignments.

Republican Senate Deputy President Pro Tempore Ralph Hise told reporters that each Democrat who voted as present will be marked down as an excused absence.

“It’s clear that we have a duty to vote. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re on the floor. And somebody came up with an idea to do something else that, quite frankly, didn’t sit within our parameters,” Hise said.

Recent legislation tackling gender

HB 805 is just one of several bills tackling issues surrounding transgender people this session. One is now en route to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s desk.

Lawmakers approved changes made by the House to Senate Bill 442, titled the “Parents Protection Act,” in a 28-19 vote.

It bars denying prospective adoptive parents the placement of a child because they oppose gender-transition care for that child. It also bars this based on the race, color or national origin of the child or the parent.

Parents would be shielded from abuse or neglect claims for raising their child in line with the child’s sex assigned at birth, rather than their preferred gender identity.

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