Eileen Bilodeau

New Hampshire House Bill 1447 is not just another technical tweak to state law — it is a sweeping and discriminatory measure that would legally entrench exclusion and stigma under the guise of protecting privacy, while actually harming real people in everyday life. HB 1447 would force the state, local governments, and private entities to classify use of restrooms, locker rooms, changing areas, and sleeping quarters strictly by a narrow, biologically defined notion of “sex” — and then declare that such exclusionary policies do not count as discrimination. That means schools, workplaces, and businesses could adopt rules that bar transgender and gender-diverse people from facilities that match their identity, all while being legally shielded from discrimination claims. This bill would put New Hampshire on the wrong side of basic humanity and common sense. Rather than ensuring safety, it legitimizes targeted exclusion of transgender people from everyday spaces simply because of who they are. Mandating such rigid classifications inevitably invites invasive enforcement — requiring personal documentation or scrutiny of bodies and identities — that violates privacy and dignity for everyone, not just transgender people. It would also deprive local communities and businesses of the flexibility to adopt inclusive practices that actually work for their patrons and staff, replacing practical solutions with blunt legal mandates. HB 1447 masquerades as “privacy protection,” but its real effect is to institutionalize discrimination, harm vulnerable residents, and chill equal participation in public life. It undermines civil-rights protections, fuels social stigma, and signals that some Granite Staters are less deserving of respect and safety under the law — a dangerous and damaging precedent that New Hampshire should reject.