RASCHEL Charles | Oppose SB211

Testimony Opposing SB-211 – College Trans Sports Ban To the Honorable Members of the House of Representatives: My name is Raschel Charles, and I am a constituent of Concord, New Hampshire. I am writing to urge you to oppose SB-211, which would ban transgender students from participating in college sports consistent with their gender identity. While this bill targets college athletics, I’ve already seen the harm similar attitudes and policies create at the K-12 level. My daughters have transgender friends who are regularly harassed just for playing the sports they love. Ironically, it’s not their teammates who have a problem—those students see them for who they are: teammates, friends, equals. The hostility comes mostly from adults—parents in the stands or voices outside the field stoking fear and bias. Some teams have even refused to play against them, not because of the kids, but because of pressure from adults who should know better. We’ve even seen police presence at school soccer games because tensions ran so high. That’s not safety. That’s a failure of our community to protect kids from hate. If this is happening already to younger students, I can only imagine how harmful SB-211 would be for college-aged trans students, many of whom are just beginning to find their place in the world. They don’t need more exclusion. They don’t need more barriers. And they certainly don’t need a law telling them they aren’t welcome. No one is transitioning to gain a competitive edge. They're doing it because it’s who they are. Sports should be a place for growth, not discrimination. Please vote no on SB-211. Let New Hampshire be a state that chooses compassion and inclusion over fear and division. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Raschel Charles Concord, NH