The New Hampshire House of Representatives last week tabled two pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation — the first aimed against public accommodation rights and school-sports participation for transgender people; the second, a bill to rescind the ban against conversion therapy in the state.
Reports New Hampshire Public Radio:
[Last] Wednesday, House lawmakers voted, 175 to 167, in favor of tabling a bill that would put a biological definition of sex in state statute, to differentiate between the male and female sexes in athletic competitions at public schools, in prisons, and “places of intimate privacy,” like bathrooms. It’s not the only bill LGBTQ advocates are fighting this session. Another, House Bill 1077, would repeal New Hampshire’s ban on conversion therapy, which was signed into law in 2018. That bill, too, was tabled, 197 to 147, on Wednesday, a move that could be a win for opponents of the measure by next week when bills will require a two-thirds vote to be taken off the table and advanced.
If the bill does overcome that hurdle, it would make New Hampshire the first state to repeal such a ban on discredited therapies to change a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation. The practice is currently banned in 20 states. But advocates of LGBTQ rights are counting the votes to table as a win for now.
Both bills came to the House floor with the committee’s recommendation that they pass as the issues gain national attention from legislation in places like Texas and Florida. HB 1077 has gained the support of lawmakers who point to an amendment that requires a client’s consent – consent trans advocates say youth cannot legally give. “It creates a loophole for guardians to endanger youth with discredited therapy practices,” said Palana Hunt-Hawkins, who previously worked as a trans justice organizer with the ACLU of New Hampshire.
Read the complete NHPR story here.
Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a free subscription to Boston Spirit magazine, New England’s premier LGBT magazine. We will send you a copy of Boston Spirit 6 times per year and we never sell/rent our subscriber information. Click HERE to sign up!
