North Carolina SB 516: Women's Safety and Protection Act.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 516

Short Title: Women's Safety and Protection Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Sawyer and Overcash (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S516-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO DEFINE VARIOUS TERMS IN THE GENERAL STATUTES OF NORTH 2
CAROLINA AND TO ENACT THE WOMEN'S SAFETY AND PROTECTION ACT. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
5
PART I. STANDARDIZATION OF CERTAIN DEFINED TERMS IN STATE LAW 6
SECTION 1. G.S. 12-3 reads as rewritten: 7
"§ 12-3. Rules for construction of statutes. 8
(a) In the construction of all statutes the following rules shall be observed, unless such 9
construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the General Assembly, or 10
repugnant to the context of the same statute, that is to say: 11
... 12
(b) Except as otherwise specifically provided, the following definitions apply throughout 13
the General Statutes as follows: 14
(1) Biological sex or sex. – The biological indication of male and female in the 15
context of reproductive potential or capacity, such as sex chromosomes, 16
naturally occurring sex hormones, gonads, and nonambiguous internal and 17
external genitalia present at birth, without regard to an individual's 18
psychological, chosen, or subjective experience of gender. 19
(2) Boy. – A human male who is a minor. 20
(3) Father. – A parent who is of the male sex. 21
(4) Female. – An individual who has, had, will have, or would have, but for a 22
developmental or genetic anomaly or historical accident, the reproductive 23
system that, at some point, produces, transports, and utilities eggs for 24
fertilization. 25
(5) Gender. – The psychological, behavioral, social, and cultural aspects of being 26
male or female. 27
(6) Girl. – A human female who is a minor. 28
(7) Male. – An individual who has, had, will have, or would have, but for a 29
developmental or genetic anomaly or historical accident, the reproductive 30
system that, at some point, produces, transports, and utilities sperm for 31
fertilization. 32
(8) Man. – A human male that has reached the age of majority or a minor who 33
has been emancipated. 34
(9) Mother. – A parent who is of the female sex. 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 516-First Edition
(10) Woman. – A human female that has reached the age of majority or a minor 1
who has been emancipated." 2
3
PART II. WOMEN'S SAFETY AND PROTECTION ACT 4
SECTION 2.(a) Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new 5
Article to read: 6
"Article 81B. 7
"Women's Safety and Protection Act. 8
"§ 143-765. Short title; purpose. 9
(a) Short Title. – This Article shall be known as and may be cited as the "Women's Safety 10
and Protection Act." 11
(b) Purpose. – The purpose of this Article is as follows: 12
(1) To clarify and reconcile the meaning of the terms biological sex, gender, and 13
any other related terms in State law. 14
(2) To provide protections for women against sexual assault, harassment, and 15
violence in correctional facilities, juvenile detention facilities, domestic 16
violence centers, dormitories, and restrooms, or where women have been 17
traditionally afforded safety and protection from acts of abuse committed by 18
biological men. 19
"§ 143-766. Definitions. 20
The following definitions apply in this Article: 21
(1) Agency. – As defined in G.S. 143-336. 22
(2) Biological sex or sex. – As defined in G.S. 12-3. 23
(3) Covered facility. – A prison, local confinement facility, domestic violence 24
center, rape crisis center, juvenile detention facility, or public school, that 25
receives State funds. 26
(4) Domestic violence center. – A facility that conducts a domestic violence 27
program, as defined in G.S. 8-53.12. 28
(5) Gender. – As defined in G.S. 12-3. 29
(6) Juvenile detention facility. – Means the same as the term "detention facility" 30
as defined in G.S. 7B-1051. 31
(7) Local confinement facility. – As defined in G.S. 153A-217. 32
(8) Multiple occupancy restroom/changing facility. – A facility designed or 33
designated to be used by more than one person at a time where persons may 34
be in various states of undress in the presence of other persons. A multiple 35
occupancy bathroom or changing facility may include a school restroom, 36
locker room, changing room, or shower room. 37
(9) Prison. – A confinement facility under the supervision of the Division of 38
Prisons of the Department of Adult Correction. 39
(10) Public school. – All of the following: 40
a. Any school in a public school unit, as defined in G.S. 115C-5(7a). 41
b. A school providing elementary or secondary education operated by 42
either of the following: 43
1. The Department of Health and Human Services. 44
2. The Division of Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public 45
Safety. 46
c. A community college located in North Carolina. 47
d. A constituent institution of The University of No