Eileen Bilodeau

New Hampshire House Bill 1217 is a deeply harmful and discriminatory proposal that would give legal cover to exclude transgender and nonbinary people from public life under the false pretense of “biological sex.” By allowing schools, businesses, and other institutions to restrict access to bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports based on rigid and outdated definitions of sex, the bill would effectively legalize discrimination and public humiliation. Worse still, HB 1217 would be nearly impossible to enforce without invasive and demeaning practices—would the state require people to present birth certificates or submit to body checks just to use a restroom or join a team? Such enforcement would create chaos, violate privacy, and open the door to harassment of anyone who doesn’t conform to gender stereotypes, including cisgender women and girls. This bill doesn’t protect anyone—it targets a vulnerable community and encourages policing of bodies and identities. HB 1217 is an attack on basic dignity, equality, and personal freedom, and its passage would mark a shameful step backward for New Hampshire’s values of fairness, liberty, and respect for all.