Mark Robinson, the Republican lieutenant governor of North Carolina, said on Newsmax Friday that it is "insane" to allow biological men to compete in women's sports.
Joining "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE," Robinson said his state's Republican-controlled General Assembly overrode a slate of vetoes by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
Among the vetoes overridden Wednesday were measures barring transgender surgeries for minors, restricting the discussion of gender identity in schools, and prohibiting boys from competing on girls' sports teams.
"This is not a repudiation of anyone's right to declare themselves how they see fit," Robinson stated. "What it is is stating that the state of North Carolina is not going to be forced to go along with it.
"It's saying that women should be safe in their locker rooms, and they should be free from having to compete in unfair sports against men. And our children — other peoples' children — shouldn't have this forced on them."
Robinson, a 2024 Republican gubernatorial candidate, laid into Cooper's veto of the transgender athletes bill, commenting that he has no idea how anyone could oppose it who witnessed the beginning of Title IX protections.
"Now we have this push, somehow, in this country again to destroy what we built," Robinson said of female athletics. "It's insane to think that young men should be competing against young women in sports."
Robinson is currently leading in polls for the Republican nomination for governor of North Carolina, standing at 44% in a recent Opinion Diagnostics survey — nearly 40 percentage points ahead of his nearest competitor.
The same poll also showed him ahead of likely Democratic candidate Josh Stein, the state's current attorney general, by 3 points. Another 21% were undecided.
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Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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