New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has signed several bills impacting the LGBTQ+ community, which include bans for transgender girls from participating in school sports and prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors.
Who Is Sununu?
Chris Sununu has been the Governor of New Hampshire since 2017 and is known for balancing his conservative policies with occasionally moderate stances.
Sununu and the LGBTQ+ Community
Sununu’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community has been complex at best, both supporting protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in some instances while limiting LGBTQ+ rights in others.
Summary of HB 1205
In his most recent LGBTQ+ policy decision, Governor Sununu signed House Bill 1205, which bans transgender girls from participating in school sports from grades 5-12 in New Hampshire.
Ensuring Fairness
When signing the bill, Sununu claimed Bill 1205 was a measure that would ensure fairness and safety in women’s sports by requiring schools to designate teams as girls, boys, or coed based on their birth certificates.
Competitive Balance
“HB 1205 ensures fairness and safety in women’s sports by maintaining integrity and competitive balance in athletic competitions,” Sununu said. “With this widely supported step, New Hampshire joins nearly half of all U.S. states in taking this measure.”
Reaction From LGBTQ+ Advocates
The ACLU of New Hampshire and other advocacy groups have already criticized the bill, claiming it discriminates against transgender youth while exacerbating their already significant challenges.
The ACLU’s Executive Director
Devon Chaffee, executive director of the ACLU of New Hampshire, condemned the bills as attacks on already vulnerable youth in turbulent times.
Cynical Attacks on the Most Vulnerable
“These unconstitutional bills – now signed into law – are cynical attacks on some of the most vulnerable youth in our state and will have devastating impacts on transgender and LGBTQ+ students who already face discrimination and isolation just for being their authentic selves,” said Chaffee.
Gender-Affirming Care Ban
Sununu also signed HB 619, which bans gender-affirming procedures for minors under 18 from January 1, 2025, onward, arguing that the bill protects children from irreversible procedures.
Countries Across the World
“This bill focuses on protecting the health and safety of New Hampshire’s children and has earned bipartisan support. There is a reason that countries across the world – from Sweden to Norway, France, and the United Kingdom – have taken steps to pause these procedures and policies,” Sununu said.
Criticism From Mental Health Professionals
However, the New Hampshire Community Behavioral Health Association (NHCBHA) expressed extreme disappointment at Sununu’s decision to sign a law that stigmatizes LGBTQ+ youth and exacerbates mental health issues.
Extremely Disappointed
“We are extremely disappointed that Governor Sununu has chosen to disregard the concerns of mental health and health care providers, businesses, educators, families and children by signing into law four harmful and unnecessary bills that target the LGBTQ community, especially LGBTQ youth,” the NHCBHA statement reads.
Parental Notification Bill
Sununu then also signed HB 1312, which requires schools to give parents advance notice of curriculum material related to sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity and allows parents to opt their children out of such instruction.
Quote From Critics
In reaction to HB 1312, the ACLU-NH and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) also criticized the bill for creating further stigma around gender and sexuality education in school.
Objectionable Material
“This bill will stigmatize classroom instruction involving LGBTQ+ people by equating any school content related to gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to ‘objectionable material,'” stated the ACLU-NH and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD).
Sununu’s Justification
Sununu defended his actions by claiming these laws were about ensuring safety and fairness, which he argued were paramount concerns for parents in his state.
Safety and Fairness
“As the debate over HB 619 and HB 1205 has played out in Concord and throughout the state, charged political statements have muddled the conversation and distracted from the two primary factors that any parent must consider: safety and fairness for their children,” Sununu said.
Trend in Legislation
Unfortunately, Sununu’s actions align with a broader national trend where nearly half of U.S. states have passed similar legislation regarding transgender sports participation and gender-affirming care.
National Critics
“Multiple courts across the country have recognized that laws categorically banning girls and women who are transgender from school sports unlawfully excludes them from a fundamental part of the educational process,” stated GLAD and ACLU-NH.
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Andrew Cline.
