Dr. Mark Creech
Director of Government Relations
Return America
This week, a key section of House Bill 805 – Prevent Sexual Exploitation/Women and Minors officially took effect in North Carolina, marking a significant milestone for the protection of women, children, parental rights, and the integrity of the family.
The new law affirms in statute what science, common sense, and Scripture have always taught: human sex is binary – male and female – and is grounded in biology, not ideology. Under the law, the State of North Carolina now formally recognizes only two sexes and states that gender identity “shall not be treated as legally or biologically equivalent to sex.”
This provision is part of a broader reform package aimed at preventing sexual exploitation and strengthening safeguards for minors and families across the state.
What HB 805 Does
HB 805 is one of the most comprehensive child-protection and family-integrity bills passed in recent years. Among its major provisions:
• Affirms biological sex as male and female in state law
• Defines mother and father as female and male parents
• Prohibits state funding for gender transition procedures and medications for minors and prisoners
• Allows victims to bring civil action for harms caused by such procedures — even years later
• Gives students the right to opt out of classroom content that conflicts with their religious beliefs
• Expands parental access and oversight of school library materials
• Requires parental permission for students to share sleeping quarters with members of the opposite biological sex on school trips
• Imposes strong safeguards on online pornography platforms, including age verification, consent verification, and rapid removal of non-consensual content
• Establishes strict rules for the handling of amended birth certificates
Governor Josh Stein vetoed the legislation on July 3, 2025, calling it “divisive.” However, the General Assembly overrode the veto on July 28, allowing the bill to become law.
Why This Matters
For years, powerful ideological forces have attempted to separate human identity from biological reality, particularly in ways that have placed women and children at increasing risk – from compromised privacy spaces to men playing in women’s sports to irreversible medical interventions on minors.
HB 805 pushes back against this dangerous trend by restoring moral and legal clarity.
From a Christian worldview, the law reflects a foundational biblical truth:
“So God created man in His own image… male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27).
The Christian faith teaches that sex is not a social invention but a divine design. When the law abandons this reality, the consequences ripple outward – destabilizing families, confusing children, and weakening protections for the vulnerable.
HB 805 stands as a declaration that truth is not negotiable and that compassion does not require abandoning reality.
Protecting the Vulnerable
Perhaps most importantly, HB 805 strengthens protections for minors — shielding children from premature sexualization, harmful medical experimentation, online exploitation, and ideological coercion in the classroom.
The bill also honors parents as the primary stewards of their children’s upbringing, not the state, the school system, or activist organizations.
According to CBS 17 in Raleigh, House Speaker Destin Hall noted after the veto override that the Governor chose “radical activists over the overwhelming majority of North Carolinians who believe in parental rights, biological reality, and protecting women and children.” The legislature corrected that course.
A Moral Course Correction
HB 805 is not about hostility; it is about honesty.
It is not about exclusion; it is about protection.
It is not about fear; it is about faithfulness to truth.
At a time when confusion reigns across much of the culture, North Carolina has taken a courageous step toward restoring moral clarity, scientific integrity, and compassionate protection for those who need it most.
For that, the General Assembly deserves the gratitude and prayers of every citizen who believes that laws should reflect reality – and that children deserve better than ideological experimentation.
This is the kind of principled leadership Return America exists to encourage – equipping citizens, pastors, and policymakers to defend truth, protect the vulnerable, and preserve the moral foundations of our great nation. Please remember to pray for Dr. Ron Baity, president of Return America, the Board, and staff. Of course, remember to pray for our state and nation’s leaders.
