North Carolina’s showdown over revenge-porn reform has exploded into a backstage gender rights drama. What started as a solid attempt to fight non-consensual intimate content spiraled into a Senate-level ambush, this time carrying dark anti-trans undertones, triggering a fierce response from Governor Josh Stein, who’s making clear he’ll veto anything that veers into state-sponsored trans surveillance.
The original House Bill 805 was a bold move: implement age checks, require written consent for adult intimate content, and create a swift 72-hour takedown window. The legislation finally gave victims a voice. Enter the Senate version, which shoehorned in a requirement for platforms to verify a person’s “legal sex designation” or ban their content entirely. That means anyone not matching their birth-certified status gets blocked out, targeting trans folks who can’t or won’t hand over identity documents in online spaces. This stunt transforms tools meant to protect into tools meant to police. Senate Dem Leader Sydney Batch called it a “hijacked…” bill with “dangerous” new language. Platforms would now act as ID-check gatekeepers, effectively outing, or silencing, trans creators.
Unsurprisingly, Senate Democrats refused to play along, voting “present” rather than enabling the discrimination. Now the bill heads back to the House, its future still uncertain, and advocates are ready to sound the alarm.
Enter Governor Stein, who on July 6 vetoed four bold GOP-sponsored bills aimed at erasing DEI programs and restricting gender-affirming care, and he called them “mean-spirited.” Among those scrapped were bans on trans health care and legal gender recognition. His vetoes, described as a crucial win, have galvanized civil rights advocates across the state. Lauter quote: “These bills are not about solving real problems … They’re about division, distraction, and discrimination,” Stein remarked.
RELATED: North Carolina Governor Vetoes Bills Targeting DEI, Trans Care
Together these two moves tell the same story: North Carolina may now be ground zero for a new anti-trans playbook, where binge legislation slaps anti-trans framing onto bills about consent, porn, sports, and education. At every turn, trans autonomy is treated like collateral damage.
What this means: For trans content creators, it’s now a digital minefield. A platform could demand your legal sex marker in birth records just to post safe content, or else refuse. And that’s just online. Offline, young trans people remain under threat as legislators spread anti-care bills with alarming speed. Governor Stein is the cork in that bottle, but the rest of the state legislature may not be ready to close it.
What’s next: HB 805 goes back to the House but now carries a buzzing political electric charge. If it ends up on Stein’s desk, officials hope he’ll veto it again. Meanwhile, activists are double-checking every bill lurking in other wings, just in case revenge porn becomes rev engendering transphobia.
The Bottom Line
A bill meant to protect victims of revenge porn has been hijacked with anti-trans surveillance language—and now North Carolina’s governor is drawing a line. In a state where anti-trans laws are sprouting fast, these clashes aren’t one-offs—they’re a blueprint. And lawmakers have to decide: Will you fight porn or persecute people?
