Heather Grant

HB 1165 would remove the “X” gender marker from New Hampshire identification cards, and the impact of that decision reaches far beyond paperwork. Eliminating this option strips recognition from nonbinary residents and forces people into categories that do not reflect their lived reality. This is not a neutral policy choice — it creates direct, avoidable harm. Accurate identification is a matter of safety and dignity. When someone’s ID does not match who they are, every routine interaction becomes a point of risk: job applications, medical appointments, pharmacy pickups, traffic stops, and countless everyday moments where a mismatched document can lead to questioning, outing, or discrimination. The “X” marker exists to prevent exactly those situations. New Hampshire has long valued personal freedom and the right to live authentically. HB 1165 moves in the opposite direction by narrowing legal recognition and signaling that some residents’ identities are less valid or less worthy of respect. Removing the “X” marker does nothing to improve public safety, streamline government processes, or address any documented problem. What it does is make life harder for people who already face disproportionate barriers. Trans and nonbinary Granite Staters contribute to every part of this state — its workforce, its families, its communities. They deserve identification that reflects who they are, not who someone else insists they must be. Policies that erase or restrict identity do not strengthen New Hampshire; they diminish it. HB 1165 should be rejected because every resident deserves to be recognized as themselves. No government should take that recognition away.