On Friday, New Hampshire's Republican governor, Chris Sununu, signed a bill banning transgender child abuse in his state. He also signed a law banning men who identify as women from participating in girls' sports from grades 5 through 12 in his state.
Governor Sununu also signed a bill that would provide parents with two weeks' notice that LGBT topics will be taught in schools and allow parents to choose not to teach such lessons to their children. The Governor vetoed House Bill 396, which would have allowed businesses to require women-only restrooms, because it “attempts to solve a problem that does not exist in New Hampshire and would create unnecessary divisiveness.”
Prohibition of sex change for minors
House Bill 619 will ban the cruel and barbaric practice of “genital sex reassignment surgery” (sex change) on minors. The law will officially go into effect on January 1, 2025. In a statement, the governor explained:
HB 619 would ensure that no child is subjected to life-altering, irreversible surgeries. This bill is focused on protecting the health and safety of New Hampshire's children and has bipartisan support. There's a reason countries around the world, from Sweden to Norway to France to the UK, have taken steps to suspend these procedures and policies. Even the Biden Administration, citing the American Academy of Pediatrics, has spoken out against these surgeries on young people.
Transgender advocates from the American Civil Liberties Union and GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders) strongly opposed the bill, arguing that such surgeries are “life-saving.”
The bill would prohibit access to some health care for transgender minors, impede the ability of parents, transgender people, and physicians to make individualized health care decisions, and open the door to further restrictions on the established standard of care that is recognized by every major medical association in the United States as the only evidence-based approach to addressing the physical, mental and emotional needs of transgender youth.
Protecting women's sports
House Bill 1205 would “require schools to designate sports by gender and prohibit biological males from participating in girls' sports.” The law goes into effect on August 19th, in time for the new school year. The governor said:
HB 1205 will ensure fairness and safety in women's sports by maintaining fairness and competitive balance in athletic competition. This broadly supported measure means New Hampshire joins nearly half of the states in the U.S. in adopting this measure.
Transgender advocates say the bill is discriminatory and would deny transgender people access to athletics. Supporters of the bill argue that transgender students would be able to compete, but only within the category they were born into.
Teaching LGBT in schools
Meanwhile, House Bill 1312 would amend existing laws that require parents to be notified when the topic of human sexual reproduction comes up. The amendment would require parents to be notified two weeks in advance about any topic related to “sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or gender expression.” Additionally, parents would be able to opt out of such education if they so choose.
Governor Sununu has not commented publicly on House Bill 1312, but ahead of the vote, New Hampshire Republican Sen. Tim Lang said, “If schools are going to teach these sensitive topics, parents should have the right to review the materials and make informed decisions about their children's education.”
Opposition to the bill
Some teachers unions see the bill as a form of censorship of the classroom.
“To be clear, the adoption of HB 1312 is another attempt to stifle classroom conversation, similar to the similarly vague and unenforceable 'prohibited concepts' laws that were recently found unconstitutional,” said NEA-NH President Megan Tuttle.
Democrats in the state are outraged by the bill, with Democratic Senator Donna Soucy saying, “Senate Democrats know that members of the transgender community are not a threat, they are the ones threatened, and we will not stand by silently while they are targeted by this cruel bill.”
But Sununu said his actions were “fair, balanced and devoid of political considerations.”
