New Hampshire Passed A Bill Protecting Transgender People

New Hampshire is on its way to becoming the 20th state with explicit civil rights protections for transgender and gender non-conforming people. On Wednesday, the state Senate passed House Bill 1319, which would add gender identity to the state's existing anti-discrimination laws.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signaled he intends to sign the bipartisan legislation.

HB1319 would prohibit discrimination against people based on their gender identity in public spaces, the workplace, and housing. These protections already exist to shield people against discrimination based on their sex, religion, race, and sexual orientation. If Sununu signs HB1319 into law, the protections would automatically extend to transgender and gender non-conforming folks.

“New Hampshire’s leaders are demonstrating that nondiscrimination protection is not — and should never be — a partisan issue. From Alaska to New Hampshire, Republicans and Democrats are coming together to support all people,” Zeke Stokes, vice president of programs at GLAAD, said in a statement. “Gov. Sununu has said he is inclined to sign the measure, and it’s critical that he do so in order to ensure that everyone in New Hampshire has access to the same freedoms and protections under the law.”

New Hampshire is the last state in New England to put in place explicit anti-discrimination protections for transgender people.

Freedom New Hampshire, a local LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, celebrated the win on Twitter. The group wrote: "We did it! The NH Senate just voted 14-10 to pass #TransBillNH! This is a huge victory for freedom-loving people everywhere — especially the #transgender Granite Staters who have fought so hard for nearly a decade to make this happen."