Bladen County is one of the first counties in North Carolina to require participants in its parks and recreation programs to play on sports teams aligned with the sex they were assigned at birth.
The five Republicans and four Democrats who serve on the Bladen County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the policy last week without public discussion or input from residents.
The Rev. Cameron McGill, a Bladen County commissioner, asked Parks and Recreation Director Grant Pait in June to look into creating the policy.
McGill told The Border Belt Independent he was prompted to take action when a Bladen County high school competed in an athletic event earlier this year against a team with a transgender athlete. He declined to name the school or the sport.
To learn more, visit our media partners at The Border Belt Independent