North Carolina lawmaker proposes dress code bill targeting trans teachers
Erin Paré (NC League of Municipalities)
A North Carolina Republican lawmaker says it “may be time” to introduce legislation that would require public school employees to wear what she describes as “gender-appropriate professional attire”, after raising concerns over the hiring of a transgender teacher in the Wake County Public School System.
State Rep. Erin Paré said she had received emails and phone calls from constituents regarding what she described as “the hiring of a transgender biological male, who dresses as a woman” to teach music at an elementary school.
While she did not publicly identify the school or the teacher involved, Paré said she had contacted Wake County school officials and suggested that existing employee dress code policies do not adequately address the issue.
In a public post shared to her Facebook page on 28 July, Paré argued that school policies should “protect children from being exposed to more complex and mature gender-identity questions and concepts at too young of an age”.
She added that schools should be able to treat employees “with dignity and respect” while also ensuring young children are not exposed to what she considers “age inappropriate concepts”. Paré wrote that she would “ALWAYS protect our children” and suggested the situation was an example of the importance of school choice for parents.
Wake County Public Schools responded in a 28 July statement to The News & Observer by pointing to its existing anti-discrimination policies: “Under Board Policy 1710, the district prohibits unlawful discrimination while taking into account all requirements in state and federal law.”
The Campaign for Southern Equality called the proposal “cruel and likely unlawful” in a 28 July statement, arguing that transgender people work in every profession, including education, and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in the workplace. The organisation also pointed to the US Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, which held that discrimination against LGBTQ+ employees constitutes unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
The ACLU of North Carolina also condemned the proposal in a statement that same day, with director of policy and advocacy, Liz Barber, arguing that the government should have no role in policing how people dress. “What you wear each day, whether on the weekend or at work, is an expression of who you are,” Barber said.
Barber also cited the Supreme Court’s 1989 decision in Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, which established that employment decisions based on sex stereotypes can violate federal anti-discrimination law.
Democratic State Rep. Julia Greenfield also criticised Paré’s comments in a Facebook post, accusing her colleague of implying that a transgender teacher poses a danger to children solely because of their identity. “There is no evidence presented of misconduct, inappropriate behaviour, or failure to do the job. The concern appears to be based solely on this person’s identity and appearance. Public officials should be careful not to fuel fear or suspicion about an individual without facts to support it,” Greenfield wrote.
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