Headlines from the Granite State
New Hampshire Outright
To better reflect the extent of their work, the Granite State’s LGBTQ+ youth advocacy nonprofit Seacoast Outright is changing its name to “New Hampshire Outright.”
“From Portsmouth to Coos County, Outright’s work has expanded to support communities across the Granite State. In 2025, our name will shift to officially reflect the growing scope of our work. We will launch a new website, a new logo, and more. There are exciting conversations already in the works about new Outright chapters and partnerships with organizations across the state to serve (even more) LGBTQ+ youth,” states the nonprofit’s executive director Heidi Carrington.
“NH Outright isn’t just a name, or a brand change. It’s our promise to you: our community. You are not alone. We will continue to be a consistent voice and a beacon of hope for LGBTQ+ youth across the state. We are not going anywhere. Now – more than ever before – your support is a bold act of love and celebration. It is also a critical act of resistance and resilience. We hope you’ll join us in investing in the next chapter of Seacoast and NH Outright.”
More: seacoastoutright.org
A reluctant vote
Back in December, US Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire — the openly gay Congressman, co-chair of the LGBTQ+ Congressional Equality Caucus, with a record of otherwise strong support for LGBTQ+ rights — voted along with 80 other Congressional Democrats for the National Defense Authorization Act with riders that restricted gender-affirming care coverage of children of US service members.
In a statement to LGBTQ Nation, Pappas decried the use of riders politicizing such legislation and urged the Senate to strip the bill of the restrictions before sending it to then-President Biden, who had vowed not to support anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
“I continue to urge the Senate to make necessary adjustments to this bill,” Pappas told LGBTQ Nation, “but we cannot shrink from our responsibility to fund our national defense and provide for our service members and their families, including LGBTQ+ service members.”
Nevertheless, with most of his peers also considering the legislation a “must-pass bill” to fund the military, the bill passed with riders intact in both the US House and Senate, and was signed by Biden.
‘Queer to Stay’ café
Teatotaller Cafe in Dover is among 30 businesses nationwide in 2024 to receive “Queer to Stay” recognition from the Human Rights Campaign.
Says HRC, Queer to Stay is “an LGBTQ+ business preservation initiative is a collaboration between the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and SHOWTIME that celebrates and supports Pride and the LGBTQ+ community by identifying and making significant donations to at least 30 LGBTQ+ serving businesses each year.”
The initiative started in response to the COVID pandemic, but continued out of need to support establishments that support LGBTQ+ people.
“The Queer to Stay program aims to uplift these small businesses and provide them with the resources they need to continue making an impact in their communities — despite the aims of those who seek to silence us, we’re here to stay.”
Workplace equality leaders
In January, the Human Rights Campaign announced its 2025 list of “Equality 100 Award: Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion” honorees from their annual Corporate Equality Index, and two of them are based in the Granite State.
HRC’s Corporate Equality Index is the national roadmap and benchmarking tool for US businesses (and now including municipal employers) to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer equality in the workplace.
Ratings criteria include workforce protections, inclusive benefits, supportive and inclusive culture, corporate social responsibility, and responsible citizenship.
Top scorers in New Hampshire are C&S Wholesale Groceries Inc. in Keene and Iron Mountain Inc. in Keene.
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