Headlines from the Granite State
Gay panic ban becomes law
In late June, the state’s House and Senate both overwhelmingly passed legislation to ban the “gay panic defense” in criminal cases—sending the bill to Governor Chris Sununu to sign into law, which he did in August.
The law means that defendants on trial in the Granite State may no longer excuse violent crimes on the basis of the sexual or gender orientation of their victim.
Said US Congressman Chris Pappas (NH), who introduced a similar bill on the national level in June, “In many jurisdictions throughout the United States, including our federal courts, violent perpetrators can attempt to avoid accountability for their crimes through the use of bigoted ‘panic’ defenses. As a bipartisan coalition of legislators come together in New Hampshire to ban their use in state courts, I am working to make progress on the federal level. Congress should work to end these bigoted defenses, and I am committed to working across the aisle with my colleagues to advance this legislation.”
Drag Queen story hour prevails
Drag queen Juicy Garland carried on with her story hour at the Teetotaler café in Concord, New Hampshire, despite a group of “masked protestors chanting and raising their arms in a Nazi salute,” according to Boston.com.
Later that day, Garland posted a video of the protestors on Twitter, tweeting, “We’ve got some verified Nazis today! Golly, I didn’t order those.”
As Boston.com reported, protestors could also be heard chanting in the video with one of them banging on the glass. Tweeted Garland, “We prevailed and had a great time with the families anyways.”
Teetotaler owner Emmett Soldati told Boston.com: “For the last decade, we’ve hosted events for all ages that have been embraced by the Seacoast and now our Concord community. These events provide fun, safe and educational experiences for everyone as well as opportunities for local drag performers.” Such activities from hate groups, he said, “will not deter us from continuing to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for all Granite Staters to be proud of and recognize they belong here.”
The incident is under a state attorney general’s investigation.
Community rallies for beaten gay couple
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office is investigating the assault of a gay couple in Somersworth who reported they were beaten and injured by a group of kids shouting homophobic slurs at their home and business in late July.
The local community is rallying behind the couple with a GoFundMe.com campaign, which states:
“We, the community of Somersworth, New Hampshire and all those who love Willam, Loren and their delightful downtown business, Wm. Poole Confectioners, are raising funds to surround them with community love and support during this time.
“On the night of July 24th, Willam and Loren were targeted and viciously attacked by as-yet-unknown people, possibly the same group who just last week also tried to break into their home and shop. These assailants were yelling homophobic slurs, and Willam and Loren sustained injuries that put them in the hospital. The incident is under investigation, including as a potential civil rights violation, and as of now, no arrests have been made. …
“What we do know for sure is that these two beloved community members have had to close their shop, cancel orders and refund jobs that were lined up. One way we can show up for them is to help cover the costs of a closed business and unforeseen hospital bills.”
More: gofundme.com/f/willam-and-lorens-community-support-fund
‘Severe’ food insecurity
A recent study conducted by professors at the University of New Hampshire in partnership with UCLA Law School’s Williams Institute finds that many LGBTQ+ Granite Staters are experiencing “severe” food insecurity or insufficiency.
The report finds that some 29 percent of LGBTQ+ people in the state are food insecure, with transgender individuals among the hardest hit.
“When we examined food insufficiency by gender identity, 20 percent, or about 1 in 5, transgender New Englanders experienced food insufficiency in the past week … which is twice the rate of cisgender women and three times the rate of cisgender men,” said Analena Bruce, a co-author of the study and assistant professor at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture.
More: williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu
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