Rally urges NC lawmakers to protect female school spaces 

The NC Values Coalition held a press conference Tuesday morning outside the North Carolina Legislative Building calling on lawmakers to pass legislation restricting biological males from entering female bathrooms and locker rooms in public schools and other government facilities. 

Students, parents, and advocates gathered outside the legislature to share concerns over current school policies and urge lawmakers to take action this session. 

Throughout the event, protesters gathered nearby shouting phrases including: “Protect trans kids,” “We need to protect kids from you,” and accusing speakers and attendees of being “bigots” and “Christian nationalists.” At several points, protesters yelled while teenage girls shared their stories at the podium. 

Ashley Vaughan, communications director for NC Values Coalition, said many students are afraid to speak publicly because of the backlash they may face. 

“There have been reported cases of biological males entering female private spaces in public schools across our state,” Vaughan said. “Many girls and families have chosen to endure this loss of safety and privacy in silence because they fear the social backlash for speaking out against it.”  

Vaughan referenced recent social media videos posted by the organization featuring North Carolina students discussing encounters with biological males in school bathrooms. She said one Cabarrus County student faced harassment after speaking publicly. 

“Since speaking out publicly, she has been bullied; she has been threatened online and in her community,” Vaughan said. “All for simply saying that she feels uncomfortable entering the girls’ bathroom at her school.”  

Three high school students — Lyla, Addy, and Sophia — also attended the rally and later spoke with Carolina Journal about why they decided to come to Raleigh. 

“My best friend went to the bathroom, and this male had been in the restroom cleaning his paint palette,” Addy said. “He was in there for over 10 minutes, and this went on for several days. He was also going in there to use the bathroom.”  

The girls said they became frustrated after feeling their concerns were not being addressed by school officials. 

“Nobody was helping her, so we were like, ‘We’ll do it,’” Sophia said. “We love her and we want to help her.” 

When asked what message they wanted lawmakers to hear, the students said they simply wanted privacy and safety protections. 

“We just want protection,” they told Carolina Journal. “We don’t want to spread hate. We want protection for all, but we want protection for us too.”

Vaughan also alleged the organization had received additional reports involving students in Concord and Buncombe County. 

“Last week, I spoke with a 12th grader from Concord High School who told me that she was reaching out to me because a boy was regularly entering the bathroom in her high school and looking through the cracks in the stalls at her and her friends,” Vaughan said. 

She additionally referenced reports of males allegedly exposing themselves in school bathrooms and claimed one Buncombe County family reported a sexual assault but did not wish to speak publicly. 

“Crimes are occurring in our bathrooms,” Vaughan said. “We cannot leave our children in this situation and it must stop.” 

Another featured speaker was Anita Leis, an OBGYN and Buncombe County parent whose daughters attend Buncombe County Schools. 

“This policy allows students into restrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity as opposed to biological sex,” Leis said.  

Leis argued female students are being pressured to suppress their discomfort in situations involving opposite-sex restroom access. 

“These young women are being told to ignore their discomfort and the alarm bells going off in their heads because the adults in the room have decided that they should accept the situation as normal,” she said.  

Prisha Mosley also spoke at the rally about her experience transitioning as a teenager before later detransitioning. 

“I’m suffering from lifelong irreversible consequences because of the hormones and the surgery that I was given when I was a teenager,” Mosley said.  

As protesters shouted nearby, Mosley defended the girls speaking at the event. 

“These beautiful little girls over here and the young high school girls who are standing up for their own spaces are not bigots,” Mosley said. “They deserve to be protected in their spaces.”  

Following the rally, Vaughan confirmed the organization has been speaking with lawmakers about possible legislation this session. 

“Yes, our lobbyists have been in touch with members of the House and Senate about legislation to address this problem,” Vaughan said. 

According to NC Values Coalition, 21 states and Puerto Rico currently have laws restricting biological males from girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms in K-12 schools, while 12 states extend similar protections to additional government-owned facilities. 

“Rally urges NC lawmakers to protect female school spaces ” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.