N.H. governor signs bills restricting trans health care and sports participation
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed measures into law to limit transition-related care for transgender minors and bar some trans students from competing on school sports teams that match their gender identities.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed two anti-trans measures into law last week that will limit transition-related care for transgender minors and bar some trans students from competing on school sports teams that match their gender identities.
The health care measure, H.B. 619, will prevent trans minors from receiving transition-related surgery and bar physicians from referring patients for out-of-state procedures. It does not ban other forms of gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy. The law, which Sununu signed Friday, takes effect at the start of next year.
The sports measure, H.B. 1205, will require the state’s students in grades 5-12 to compete on school sports teams that match the gender marker on their birth certificates. It takes effect next month.
Supporters of the legislation argue that children are not mature enough to authorize life-altering surgery and that trans girls have physical advantages over cisgender girls in sports.
“New Hampshire always takes a balanced approach, and HB 619 and 1205 reflect commonsense, bipartisan solutions that reflect the values of parents across our state,” Sununu said in a statement. “The vast majority of Granite Staters share in this approach — because it is fair, balanced, and void of political considerations.”
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