Latest news with #AliceWade
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
House passes ban on puberty blockers, hormone therapies for minors
Rep. Alice Wade, a Dover Democrat and a transgender lawmaker, speaks against House Bill 148, which would roll back some anti-discrimination protections for transgender people, on Thursday, March 20, 2025. On March 27, Wade also spoke out against HB 377. (Photo by Ethan DeWitt/New Hampshire Bulletin) Transgender children and teenagers would be barred from receiving hormone therapy and puberty blockers under a bill that passed the New Hampshire House Thursday on nearly party lines. House Bill 377 would prohibit any medical procedures for people under 18 'for the purpose of altering or attempting to alter the appearance of or affirm the minor's perception of his or her gender or sex, if that perception is inconsistent with the minor's biological sex.' That prohibition includes puberty-blocking and hormone medication. Democrats decried the bill as discriminatory against transgender children, and said parents should be able to decide whether their children should have the treatments. Opponents noted that the medications would be denied only to minors who are seeking to realize their gender identity but would still be available for certain physical conditions, which they said meant the bill is aimed at transgender people. The bill 'unfairly targets a very small number of minors from getting the care that their parents and their medical providers believe they need,' said Rep. Jessica LaMontagne, a Dover Democrat. 'Despite what some proponents of this bill are telling you, these drugs are used safely and effectively for other reasons and their effects are reversible.' A number of Democratic representatives read testimony from children who have received gender-affirming medication and have improved their lives. But Republicans argued the procedures are dangerous, are difficult to undo, and that too little is known about their side effects. 'These drugs are not perfectly safe,' said Rep. Erica Layon, a Derry Republican. 'Anybody who says that is misleading parents, misleading kids, and misleading all of us.' Much of the Republican caucus left the House chamber during Democrats' speeches opposing the bill. The act specifically bans medical procedures 'enabling a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor's biological sex and asserted identity.' Medical professionals who violate the proposed law could be charged with a Class B felony, which can carry up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $4,000. The bill has exceptions for procedures for minors 'with a medically verifiable disorder of sex development.' And it would allow medical professionals who had already started a minor on such treatment before the bill takes effect to continue the treatment if stopping it 'would cause harm to the minor,' but requires the dosage to be tapered and reduced. The bill would take effect Jan. 1, 2026. HB 377 would expand upon a bill that passed in 2024 and that banned gender transition 'bottom' surgeries for people under 18 in New Hampshire. Research indicates that gender-affirming procedures are rare for minors; a 2025 study from Harvard analyzing insurance claims from 2018 to 2022 found that about 0.1 percent of adolescents between age 8 and 17 have received puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy. LaMontagne argued the bill prevented families from making the decision to support their child, and said the procedures usually follow years of therapy and discussion. 'This body just passed the parental bill of rights that includes the right to make health care decisions,' she said. 'So I call on all of you that voted for the parental bill of rights: Do you believe that parents know best, or do you not?' Rep. Alice Wade, a Dover Democrat who is transgender, said the therapies helped her transition and saved her life during a period when she was suicidal. Wade transitioned after she turned 18 but argued that other teenagers benefit from the procedures. 'Imagine receiving life-saving care, then having someone with no understanding or experience try to rip that away from you because they think they know better,' Wade said. She added: 'When people in this body say that we need nuanced discussions and compromise, I agree. The problem is that my position is I'd like to have access to health care, equal treatment, and to mind my own business.' But Rep. Lisa Mazur, a Goffstown Republican, argued that children and families did not know the risks of what they are choosing to adopt. 'Children cannot fully comprehend the lifelong consequences of altering their bodies with powerful medications,' Mazur said. '… Gender dysphoria is real and it's painful, and those struggling deserve compassion, but rushing minors into irreversible medical interventions is not the answer.' Layon added: 'Parents can't give informed consent if they aren't told of the risks of drugs and if they are told that the only alternative to treatment is as a dead child, because that is coercion and not consent.' The bill passed 197-167, with two Democrats, Reps. Dale Girard of Claremont and Jonah Wheeler of Peterborough, joining Republicans in favor, and four Republicans, Reps. Nicholas Bridle of Hampton, David Nagel of Gilmanton, John Styek of Salem, and Susan Vandecasteele of Salem, joining Democrats opposed. It heads next to the Senate.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House passes bill allowing businesses to separate bathrooms, locker rooms by biological sex
From left, Democratic Reps. James Roesener, Alice Wade, and Peter Petrigno speak with reporters during a lunch recess of the House's voting day Thursday. Later in the day, the House voted to pass House Bill 148. Roesener and Wade are both trans lawmakers, and they discussed how the bill would be harmful to LGBTQ people like themselves. (Photo by William Skipworth/New Hampshire Bulletin) For Rep. Alice Wade, the stakes of a bill regulating bathroom access are not trivial; they strike at the core of her identity. Wade, a transgender Democratic lawmaker from Dover, took a moment ahead of a heated debate on LGBTQ+ rights to recall a conversation with a Republican voter whose child, a transgender man, died by suicide. 'I shared how overwhelming it can be for trans people to go through life in a society hostile to our very existence, and how transitioning managed to save my life six years ago,' Wade said to the chamber. '… Long after he had left, I could not stop thinking about our conversation,' Wade said. 'About a father just trying to understand his child and cope with his loss, and how much pain could be avoided if we didn't treat trans people like political weapons.' Her remarks were among several on the House floor Thursday ahead of the chamber's vote to advance a bill that would unravel some parts of a state anti-discrimination law protecting transgender people. House Bill 148, which passed the chamber 201-166, adds exceptions to the anti-discrimination law that permit businesses, organizations, and governmental entities to classify certain services by a person's biological sex. The bill allows those entities to separate people by biological sex in bathrooms, locker rooms, athletic or sporting competitions, prisons, jails, juvenile detention centers, and mental health hospitals and treatment centers. Republicans, nearly all of whom voted in favor of the bill, argued the exemptions are necessary to protect biological women in sensitive areas such as bathrooms and locker rooms. The law does not require businesses to separate bathrooms by biological sex, but those that do so will no longer be violating anti-discrimination laws. Rep. Erica Layon, a Derry Republican, said the bill would support women who feel uncomfortable or threatened by transgender women in women's spaces, raising the possibility of cisgender men taking advantage. 'That's a problem for the women that are exposed to genitalia they don't want to see,' she said. 'But perhaps even worse, this is a problem for transgendered people who may be victimized by people who are falsely claiming a transgender identity in order to get access to women.' There is no evidence of a pattern of attacks by transgender women against cisgender women in bathrooms and locker rooms; some studies have found that transgender girls and women are more likely to be harmed by legislation barring their access to bathrooms of their gender identity. A nearly identical version of the bill passed the House and Senate in 2024 but was vetoed by then-Gov. Chris Sununu. This year's bill follows a 2024 law requiring school districts to bar transgender girls from playing on girls' sports teams in grades five through 12. HB 148 would allow private sports leagues or teams to impose similar requirements on their own teams. Republicans said that would allow sports leagues to preserve fair conditions for women. But LGBTQ+ rights groups and Democrats have condemned the proposed law as an attack on the rights of transgender people rooted in misconceptions and unfounded fears. Rep. Eric Turer, a Brentwood Democrat, said the bill would invite 'discrimination, abuse, and confusion,' in part because it does not provide a definition of biological sex for businesses to follow. 'Allowing each person and every public or private organization in the state to adopt any standard it chooses is both irresponsible and dangerous,' he said. And he added the bill could require people to endure privacy violations to prove their biological sex. Linds Jakows, co-founder of 603 Equality, an advocacy group, argued the real effect of the bill would be exclusion. 'It won't be about protecting anybody,' Jakows said. 'It'll be entirely about trying to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people out of public life. … And trans and gender nonconforming people are loved and powerful and valuable members of our community.' While most Democrats voted against the bill, two, Reps. Jonah Wheeler and Peter Leishman, both of Peterborough, voted in favor. Wheeler, who gave a speech ahead of the vote, sparked strong emotions from fellow Democrats. As he spoke, about half of the Democratic caucus members walked out in protest. 'These conversations can be nuanced, and we can have conversations about treating each other with respect and humanity, and putting in place policies that say that women who were born women deserve a space to themselves, whether that be the bathroom or sports or the locker room or prisons, is not transphobic,' Wheeler said in his speech. Wade agreed that more compassion was needed. But she said compassion should be extended to transgender people, and argued excluding them from spaces was not the answer. 'I think we need more of that willingness as a country, to speak honestly and seek to understand one another, to stop the vilification of our fellow citizens and to find common ground,' she said. 'This bill does the exact opposite.'
Boston Globe
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
N.H. lawmakers consider rolling back protection for trans people in anti-discrimination law
The bill's prime sponsor, Republican Representative Jim Kofalt, said the measure is a way to protect people's privacy rights and physical safety, rejecting criticism of the bill as transphobic. He pointed to conflict in Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up And, he said, 'I have also heard from legislators in the State House that they have felt uncomfortable using bathrooms in the State House because there was a person of the opposite sex in the bathroom with them.' Advertisement That claim was met with pushback from Democratic Representative Alice Wade of Dover, who is transgender. 'I myself am a trans woman, and I'm going to bet that most of you would not have known that unless I had told you,' she said. 'Just this morning, I used the women's restroom down that hall. No issues.' And Wade raised questions about how the law could be enforced. 'Put yourself in my shoes. Imagine there's a padlock on every public restroom,' she said. Both the House and the Senate passed a version of the same proposal last year, which was vetoed by then-Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican. At the time, Sununu said the proposal 'seeks to solve problems that have not presented themselves in New Hampshire, and in doing so invites unnecessary discord.' The introduction of this year's bill comes as two transgender teenagers are fighting a state law barring them from playing girls' sports, a Advertisement The New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association previously stated that 'it would be fundamentally unjust and contrary to applicable State and Federal Law to preclude a student from participation on a gender specific sports team that is consistent with the public gender identity of that student for all other purposes.' The organization recently suspended its rule on the inclusion of trans athletes, pointing to the state law and Trump's executive order. Steven Porter of the Globe staff contributed to this report. This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Amanda Gokee can be reached at
