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NH Senate Advances Two Anti-LGBTQ Bills Targeting Rights of Transgender Granite Staters

Advocates detail harmful nature of these bills and urge all NH House members to oppose them

Today, the New Hampshire State Senate voted on party lines to advance two pieces of hostile legislation specifically targeting the rights of transgender people to live their lives on the same terms as other Granite Staters: SB 341 and SB 375. SB 341 was passed 13-10, with Senator Denise Ricciardi absent and arriving after the vote. SB 375 was voted Ought to Pass with Amendment 14-10.

SB 341 would create a new obligation for educators to surveil students and provide that information to parents, diminishing students’ opportunities to talk to trusted adults about issues, including their gender identity or sexual orientation. SB 375 would ban transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports.

SB 562, which was listed on the Senate Calendar for a vote Friday, was “special ordered” to the next Senate session. SB 562 would have rolled back key provisions of the 2018 law against discrimination that was updated to include transgender people, promoting the exclusion of transgender people from sports, including recreational leagues, as well as restrooms. The bill would also subject transgender people to carceral settings where they would be more likely to face violence on the basis of their gender identity.

The New Hampshire State Senate also voted to interim study SB 524, another attempted ban on transgender girls’ participation in sports, on the basis that it duplicated SB 375, which effectively killed the bill. SB 304, which would have created a medical cause of action for people who “detransition,” which would have made practicing gender affirming care more legally risky for providers, was also voted “interim study” after receiving a negative committee recommendation.

These bills would violate the rights of LGBTQ+ Granite Staters under state and federal law as well as increase the discrimination and harassment they already face. They would also negatively impact educators, and impact non-transgender students who are gender nonconforming. These bills now move on to the New Hampshire House.

Below are statements from LGBTQ+, public education, and child welfare advocates:

“When I was in high school, it meant the world to me to come out as queer to my favorite teacher and friends at school before I felt ready to come out to my parents,” said Linds Jakows, Founder of 603 Equality. “But if this law had been on the books when I was growing up, I wouldn’t have felt safe testing the waters at school before having a much more difficult conversation at home. Politicians need to stop inserting themselves in the relationship between students, parents, and teachers, and let these conversations happen on their own timeline. New Hampshire has had a policy of allowing all girls, including trans girls, to participate in sports since 2015. It’s deeply disappointing that lawmakers would spend time taking away opportunities from young people, and spread misinformation, rather than allow transgender people to find joy and belonging.”

“Today the Senate took a huge step backward when it comes to fairness, safety, and the ability of all Granite Staters to live free from discrimination. The bills passed today would harm students and families and disrupt education. This state has rejected these extreme, unworkable proposals in the past, and the House should uphold New Hampshire’s values by doing so again.” said Chris Erchull, Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders.”

“We are deeply disappointed by today’s Senate votes, which make clear that lawmakers have failed to listen to transgender Granite Staters, the medical community, educators, child welfare advocates, and civil rights advocates and vote to support the rights of trans and nonbinary people,” said Courtney Reed, Policy Advocate at the ACLU of New Hampshire. “It’s incumbent upon all of us to build communities that help trans people, especially trans youth, know they are loved, supported, and not alone. We urge the N.H. House to put an immediate stop to this deeply harmful legislation.”

Erin George-Kelly, Director of Youth Services with Waypoint said, “The Senate’s passage of a number of bills today dealt a harmful blow to the health and wellbeing of NH’S LGBTQ+ young people. Our youth deserve better. Young people that identify as LGBTQ+ are at higher risk of mental health struggles and suicide risk among many other social issues. This is not inherent because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but is due to the stigma and mistreatment these youth face throughout society and often within their own families. Safe, supportive schools and communities are often the thing that save a young person’s life. Unfortunately, New Hampshire took a step to decrease access to such safety today.”

“Today’s votes show that the majority of our senators are not listening to the needs of trans students and are actively ignoring the wishes of many of their constituents. Trans youth in New Hampshire deserve a safe place to exist, have fun, play sports, and be themselves,” said Grace Murray, Political Director of New Hampshire Youth Movement. “Trans students and trans Granite Staters as a whole are not going anywhere and they will continue to exist in our state even in the face of discriminatory legislation such as this. Our lawmakers should focus on making NH a good place for everyone instead of prioritizing their personal political agendas.”

“These laws will inflict lasting harm on transgender Granite Staters, compounding the difficult challenges of isolation and discrimination many trans individuals already face,” said Liz Canada, Advocacy Director of Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund. “These bills flagrantly strip transgender people of autonomy over their bodies and are direct assaults on the fundamental freedoms and privacy rights that all Granite Staters cherish.”

“New Futures is disheartened that the Senate chose to pass two anti-LGBTQ+ bills today. When young people feel supported and welcomed in their homes, schools, and communities, their mental health outcomes are on par with their peers. Discriminatory bills like the ones passed today directly contribute to poorer mental health outcomes for our LGBTQ+ young people. We encourage the Governor to reject these bills if they reach his desk, in line with his decision to pass the anti-discrimination law in 2018.” said Emma Sevigny, Children’s Behavioral Health Policy Coordinator, New Futures.

“AFT-NH believes our public schools should be places where all our students feel safe, welcomed and are truly members of their classroom communities so they can learn and thrive,” said Deb Howes, President of AFT-New Hampshire. “As teachers we routinely report to parents about a student’s grades, classwork, homework, even occasionally infractions of the school’s rules. We look forward to having a productive partnership with each parent centered around helping the student learn and succeed in school. SB 341 goes far beyond this routine required reporting of academics to whatever a parent might want to ask.This bill asks teachers to spy on students at school just in case a parent wants to know about conversations, friendships, or other nonacademic matters. This is simply wrong! It will create an atmosphere of mistrust by most students towards their teachers. Students who feel unsafe and under surveillance in their public schools will engage less in their academics and will learn less. It is another bad move that actually puts students’ needs and learning last!”

“Educators and families work well together when it comes to helping New Hampshire students build bright futures. Unfortunately, this package of bills would needlessly and negatively impact those critical relationships and undermine efforts to make our public schools safe and welcoming places for all learners,” said Megan Tuttle, President of NEA-New Hampshire. “In particular, the vague language contained in SB 341 could result in harsh punishments for educators who support LGBTQ+ students. The Department of Education acknowledged in testimony that the “completely and honestly” standard contained in SB 341 is subject to interpretation. The last thing New Hampshire educators or students need is yet another law that establishes unclear parameters; the House of Representatives should act swiftly to reject SB 341 and this entire package of bills that jeopardizes Granite State youth’s learning and mental health.”

“These bills not only diminish the rights of students to privacy and access, they also negatively affect their mental health and well-being,’ said Lynn Stanley, LICSW and Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, NH Chapter. “We are very disappointed our Senate, which in the past has supported policies to address our mental health crisis, would choose to undermine these efforts. We cannot simultaneously support mental health care and enact policies that contribute to despair, stigmatization, and hopelessness. Our kids and communities deserve better.

Devan Quinn, Director of Policy at the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation said “SB 375 discriminates against trans students who deserve to be accepted and included in our schools and school activities. This legislation would move us backwards from the progress New Hampshire has made in recognizing transgender people in nondiscrimination law. Despite growing public awareness of gender identity and support for transgender people, they still face disproportionate rates of discrimination, harassment, and violence — that must change. All students deserve the opportunity to participate in sports. Transgender girls, like all girls, deserve to be treated fairly and have access to all our schools have to offer.”

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Coalition Calls on Passage of Mass Parentage Act Following Michigan Governor’s Action Today

Governor Healey and Attorney General Campbell Among Those Calling for Bill to Move

The coalition working for the passage of the Massachusetts Parentage Act today called on the Massachusetts legislature to advance the bipartisan bill that would, among other things, protect LGBTQ families in forming the legal bond of a parent-child relationship. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer today signed a similar piece of legislation into law. Massachusetts is the only New England state without the protections.

“Let’s go, Massachusetts! We’ve been proud to be a national leader and trailblazer when it comes to LGBTQ+ equality, but we’ve got some catching up to do,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Let’s pass the Massachusetts Parentage Act to make sure every family has the legal protections they need and deserve.”

“Our state parental laws have not kept pace with the diversity of modern-day families, and as other states take the necessary steps to protect families, provide stability for children and advance reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights, it is clear it is well past the time for us to act and pass the Massachusetts Parentage Act,” said Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.

“The action taken by Michigan Governor Whitmer today is a potent reminder of what strengthening families should look like in 2024 and it should serve as an inspiration to Massachusetts,” said Polly Crozier, Director of Family Advocacy at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. “The Massachusetts Parentage Act, currently making its way through the legislature, is needed to fill gaps in our laws that leave some children vulnerable and to ensure all families, no matter how they are formed, have the legal security they deserve. We hope to see this bill passed into law this session so that Massachusetts can stand proud as a state that recognizes and protects the dignity and worth of all children and families.”

The Massachusetts Parentage Act (MPA, H.1713/S.947) is currently being considered in the Joint Committee of the Judiciary. The legislation updates Massachusetts statutes to clarify who can be a parent and how to establish parentage. This bill is critical to ensuring that all children can access the security of legal parentage, regardless of the circumstances of their birth. The bill’s bipartisan sponsors include Democrat Senator Julian Cyr, Republican Senator Bruce Tarr, Democrat Representative Sarah Peake, and Republican Representative Hannah Kane.

Learn more about the Massachusetts Parentage Act

Take action for the Massachusetts Parentage Act

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Michigan Updates Parentage Laws to Protect All Families

New law protecting Michigan families and access to family building provides an example for the nation amid efforts to restrict reproductive freedom

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (April 1, 2024) – The Michigan Fertility Alliance (MFA), one of the largest grassroots citizen-led groups of its kind in the country, today applauded Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s signing of the Michigan Family Protection Act (MFPA).

The MFPA updates Michigan law to ensure that all children, including children born through assisted reproduction and to LGBTQ+ families, will have equal access to a secure legal relationship with their parents and to critical rights such as health insurance, inheritance, social security, and decision-making about medical care and education that flow from that relationship. The law also removes Michigan’s criminal ban on surrogacy contracts and provides legal safeguards for family building through surrogacy to protect all involved – parents, children, and surrogates.

“This is an incredible victory for Michigan families,” said Stephanie Jones, Executive Director of the Michigan Fertility Alliance. “Hundreds of thousands of Michiganders who want children rely on assisted reproduction to build their families. Whether straight, LGBTQ+, cancer survivors, coupled or not, Michiganders needed a clear law in place to protect all children and parents as well as those who help parents grow their families as surrogates. We’re grateful to Governor Whitmer, legislative champion Representative Steckloff, and all our legislators who heard our stories and recognized the need to support and protect children, families, and access to family-building in Michigan.”

The MFA served as a lead voice for families while the Michigan House and Senate considered and passed the package of bills collectively known as the Michigan Family Protection Act. During the legislative process, several members of the MFA, including parents, surrogates, and doctors, alongside nationally known experts in parentage and family law across the country, told lawmakers their personal and professional stories of how Michigan’s outdated statutes have adversely affected children.

“This family-focused law came together thanks to the grit and unwavering determination of our grassroots group of parents and other citizens that make up the Michigan Fertility Alliance with the support of family, parenting, reproductive equity, and LGBTQ+ advocates and experts,” added Jones. “Families take many forms – and we’re so glad we came together and learned from one another to create a law that will make having children a loving reality for everyone.”

This timely legislation also makes Michigan an example to other states for updating outdated parentage and family-building laws. It comes in the wake of aggressive efforts around the country to restrict Americans’ ability to make personal decisions about whether, when, and how to build their families, as well as efforts to undermine equal rights for LGBTQ+ people and families.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that there is no federal constitutional right to abortion, efforts have escalated to restrict not only abortion but contraception and access to family building like IVF, surrogacy, and other forms of assisted reproduction. Michigan is the first state to update its parentage laws after an unprecedented Alabama Supreme Court ruling effectively shut down IVF access in that state.

“The nationwide outcry against the Alabama ruling showed how crucial IVF and other forms of assisted reproduction are to many people’s family building process,” said Courtney Joslin, Professor at U.C. Davis School of Law and Reporter for the Uniform Parentage Act of 2017, upon which the Michigan Family Protection Act is based. “Yet in many states, parentage laws are decades out of date and haven’t kept pace with how families are formed. Critically, that leaves many children born through assisted reproduction – including IVF and surrogacy – without clear legal ties to their parents. When children lack legal relationships with their parents, they are extremely vulnerable; they may not be entitled to child support or to important government protections.”

“Michigan has shown us what strengthening families should look like in 2024: making it more possible for people to fulfill their dreams of building a family and more accessible for all families, including LGBTQ+ families, to obtain the safety and stability that comes with legal parentage,” said Polly Crozier, Director of Family Advocacy at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD). “Amid efforts to restrict Americans’ reproductive freedom and roll back protections for LGBTQ+ people and their families, the Michigan Family Protection Act is an inspiring example for other states where gaps in parentage laws leave families vulnerable.”

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NH House advances bill that would ban transgender girls from playing sports

Advocates rebuke House vote and urge State Senate to oppose harmful bill

The New Hampshire State House of Representatives today voted 189-182 to advance HB 1205, a bill that would exclude transgender students from participating in school sports teams. The bill now moves onto the State Senate.

LGBTQ+ rights, public education, and child welfare advocates gave the following statements:

Linds Jakows, Founder of 603 Equality, said, “Today, the so-called ‘Live Free or Die’ State chose to exclude transgender girls from participating on girls sports teams, cruelly taking away opportunities to learn teamwork, improve mental health, and belong with other girls. Now, the NH State Senate must affirm clearly, as the NH Interscholastic Athletic Association has done since 2015, that all girls should be allowed to participate in girls’ sports, including transgender girls.”

Deni Hatch PhD, Management and Behavioral Science Lecturer at the Peter T Paul College of Business and Economics and Board President of 603 Equality, said, “As an advocate for equality and fairness in the Granite State, I firmly believe in the importance of nurturing an inclusive sports environment that welcomes all participants, no matter their gender identity. The state of New Hampshire has always prided itself on its strong community values and its commitment to ensuring the rights and well-being of every resident. By supporting the inclusion of transgender girls in sports, we uphold these principles and foster a culture of acceptance and respect within our young sporting communities. This move to ban transgender girls from competing in sports not only harms transgender athletes by eliminating their equal opportunities to compete, learn, and grow with others, but it also tarnishes the experiences of all participants by rejecting diversity and not promoting a healthy, competitive spirit.”

Chris Erchull, Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, said, “Transgender students want the chance to play school sports for the same reason other kids do: to be a part of a team where they feel like they belong. That’s what we want for all students, and it’s why our state and federal laws make clear that singling out transgender students for exclusion is wrong. Politicians’ ongoing, relentless targeting of transgender youth is sending an extremely harmful message not just to trans kids but to all kids. The Senate should vote to uphold New Hampshire’s bedrock values of freedom and fairness for all and reject this cruel and unnecessary bill.”

Deb Howes, President of AFT-New Hampshire, said, “We believe all Granite State children have the right to go to a public school where they can feel safe, can feel welcomed and can feel they belong. As much as we would like for all students to be motivated by academics and a love of learning, for many students it is participation on a sports team and the camaraderie it brings that excites them and keeps them engaged in their school experience. School sports teams are where many students learn important lessons of teamwork, cooperation and leadership and where they develop life-long friendships. The state should not pass laws forcing us to discriminate against some students and deny them the chance to participate in these time-honored school activities with the other students in their communities.”

Courtney Reed, Policy Advocate at the ACLU of New Hampshire, said, “Our hearts break for the young transgender Granite Staters who are being relentlessly targeted by state lawmakers during this challenging legislative session. Trans students belong on our sports teams and in our schools, and all trans youth should be celebrated and protected for who they are. HB 1205 runs against federal and state law, and would discriminate against transgender youth in ways that compromise their health, social and emotional development, and safety. We urge the state senate to oppose this harmful bill.”

Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath, Executive Director, Seacoast Outright, “We are deeply disappointed in today’s vote on HB1205. NH has consistently affirmed the rights and dignity of all students, and LGBTQ+ youth. Singling out a vulnerable group of students for exclusion from sports at school is not in line with Granite State values. Trans girls, like all girls and women, deserve to be fully included. Team sports offer a protective factor, and sense of belonging for many students. Stripping an already vulnerable population of their right to participate puts them at higher risk. Trans girls and women simply want a chance to participate, and be included – nothing more, nothing less. All we are asking is to let our kids play.”

The New Hampshire Women’s Foundation said, “HB 1205 discriminates against trans students who deserve to be accepted and included in our schools and school activities. This legislation would move us backwards from the progress New Hampshire has made in recognizing transgender people in nondiscrimination law. Despite growing public awareness of gender identity and support for transgender people, they still face disproportionate rates of discrimination, harassment, and violence. That must change. Transgender girls, like all girls, deserve to be treated fairly and have access to educational opportunities like all other students.”

Grace Murray, Political Director at New Hampshire Youth Movement, said, “Barring trans girls from participating in women’s sports is discriminatory and unconstitutional. This ban blocks young trans girls from experiencing the joys of teamwork, dedication, and exercise that come with being on a team. Time and time again young NH athletes have come forward and said they appreciate having trans teammates and this body is choosing to ignore the voices of young people and pass dangerous and discriminatory legislation.”

Emma Sevigny, Children’s Behavioral Health Policy Coordinator at New Futures, said, “All students deserve the same opportunities to develop the social and behavioral skills that sports cultivate. New Futures is disappointed that the House chose to specifically discriminate against trans female athletes today by the passage of HB 1205 and deny them the ability to develop these critical life skills. All Granite State youth will suffer when one group is discriminated against.”

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Medical organizations, advocates urge lawmakers to pass bill to protect Maine’s providers of reproductive care and essential health care for transgender people

UPDATE: The HCIFS Committee voted to advance the bill.

As Maine lawmakers prepare to hold a work session on a bill that would protect the state’s reproductive and transgender care providers from hostile out-of-state attacks, leading medical and advocacy organizations are urging elected leaders to pass the legislation.

The Maine legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services (HCIFS) Committee will hold a work session on LD 227, An Act Regarding Health Care in the State, sponsored by Rep. Anne Perry (D-Calais), today at 1 pm. LD 227 aims to ensure Maine law continues to govern health care practice and access in Maine, without hostile interference from other states.

Lawmakers heard from dozens of Mainers and care providers earlier this month. They’ve also faced physical and political threats in days following that hearing. The bill, however, as Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey stated on March 12, would “simply protect providers of legally protected reproductive and gender-affirming health care provided in Maine from interference or retaliation from states with different policies.”

LD 227 would protect Maine health care practitioners who provide reproductive and transgender health care in line with the professional standards of care from investigations, subpoenas, arrests, and litigation arising from another state simply because that state has banned access to care that is legal in Maine. The bill would also protect Mainers from having their medical records or cell phone data about protected health care shared with law enforcement agencies in other states where such care is banned. LD 227 does not change what health care is available in Maine or when parental consent is required for minors to access reproductive or transgender health care.

LD 227 is supported by multiple Maine medical associations including Maine Association of Physicians Assistants, Maine Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, Maine Medical Association, Maine Nurse Practitioner Association, Maine Osteopathic Association, Maine Psychological Association, and National Association of Social Workers, Maine.

Statement from Lisa Margulies, Esq., Vice President of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England

“This bill is fundamentally about protecting medical care that is safe and legal in Maine. We know that people opposed to full spectrum reproductive care and care for transgender people will not stop their attempts to take away our rights. The threats our lawmakers and state have seen in the past few weeks serve as crystal clear evidence that Maine needs laws that protect providers, patients and our health care infrastructure. We urge our lawmakers to continue to stand against these attacks and vote to advance LD 227.”

Statement from Dee A. Kerry, Executive Director, American Academy of Pediatrics, Maine Chapter

“We denounce pieces of legislation passed in other states that seek to criminalize pediatricians and other physicians who provide medically necessary care to their patients. These bills are dangerous, both for patients and the pediatricians who care for them. Despite the misinformation that has proliferated regarding this bill, LD 227 is essential for ensuring that individuals in Maine have unimpeded access to gender-affirming care and reproductive health care services, and that health care practitioners can provide these services without fear of unwarranted legal consequences. By protecting these rights, Maine can set an example for upholding the principles of patient autonomy, non-discrimination, and access to necessary medical care.”

Statement from Polly Crozier, Director of Family Advocacy, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)

“LD 227 is straightforward legislation to ensure that Maine law can continue to govern Maine health care. It will safeguard Maine’s health care infrastructure from hostile laws passed for political, not medical, purposes in other states and ensure Maine providers can continue to deliver high quality, standard-of-care medical care.”

Statement from Gia Drew, Executive Director, Equality Maine

“Politically motivated bans on best-practice medicine are specifically targeting gender-affirming health care. These attacks single out transgender youth by blocking access to life saving medical care, care that is backed by years of rigorous research and endorsed by every leading medical authority. We know that transgender youth thrive and can lead healthy lives as teens and eventually as adults, when they are supported by their family and can get the healthcare they need to affirm who they are. This bill would not only protect Maine’s medical providers from overreach from other states, it would secure confidential medical information, and send a powerful message to transgender people and their families that Maine can be a refuge from the current political storms raging across the country.”

Statement from Evelyn Kieltyka, Senior Vice President of Program Services, Maine Family Planning

“Gender-affirming care is under attack in other states, putting providers at risk for vigilantism from licensing boards that would use interstate compacts to penalize clinicians or from insurers that would use them to reject coverage––all the things this bill protects against. People, not politicians, should have the freedom to make their own health decisions, including when it comes to their gender and reproductive care.”

Statement from Bonnie Case, Co-Director, Mabel Wadsworth Center

“Mabel Wadsworth Center supports LD 227 because we support patients and providers. We know that people seeking gender-affirming care and reproductive care, including abortion care, deserve autonomy and agency. Trusted Maine providers deserve to confidently provide essential healthcare without worry of being targeted by political agendas from other states.”

Statement from Bre Danvers-Kidman, Executive Director, Maine TransNet

“This isn’t just about transgender healthcare or reproductive healthcare; it’s about ensuring providers in Maine can feel secure that they will be protected by the laws of this state in providing the best possible care to their patients. Letting out-of-state actors criminalize our providers would have consequences that reach far beyond those of us the opposition seeks to demonize–and they would do well to remember that.”

Statement from Destie Hohman Sprague, Executive Director, Maine Women’s Lobby

“We can’t allow violent rhetoric to stop the important work of our Legislature, or of Maine health care providers to perform legal care within their scope of practice. Passing LD 227 sends a strong message that Maine supports access to critical health care that advances gender justice. It also sends a message that extremists can’t get their way through threats of violence: our democratic process and continued work for gender equity won’t be scared away.”

Statement from Sue Campbell, Executive Director, OUT Maine

“LD 227 safeguards not just access to reproductive and transgender healthcare but the fundamental right of individuals to make informed medical choices in collaboration with trusted providers. It ensures that every person, regardless of circumstance, can confidently seek essential care, knowing they are protected and supported.”

Learn more about LD227

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GLAD awarded $1 Million gift from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving open call

We are thrilled to announce that GLAD is the recipient of a $1 million grant from Yield Giving, the philanthropic fund established by MacKenzie Scott.

Over 6,000 organizations from across the U.S. applied as part of this year’s open call from Yield Giving – GLAD was one of 361 grantees. Several of our partners in the LGTBQ+ and legal advocacy movements are on the grantee list, including the ACLU of Alabama, Immigration Equality, OutFront Minnesota, Lawyers for Civil Rights, and Gender Justice. Congratulations to all grantees!

This gift demonstrates an understanding within the broader community of this pivotal moment in the movement for LGBTQ+ rights and equality, as well as confidence in the ability of GLAD to address it through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.

The grant is particularly meaningful as we undertake the search for GLAD’s new Executive Director, who will guide our next phase in the enduring fight for justice for the LGBTQ+ community and people with HIV.

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Don’t let threats stop critical work and care for our communities

Our community and publicly elected allies are experiencing escalating threats and even violence as LGBTQ+ people are increasingly the subject of politicized, misleading rhetoric and punitive laws. Last Friday, International Women’s Day, this reached a despicable and unacceptable level in Maine.

In the wake of a virulent disinformation campaign by local and national anti-LGBTQ activists, opponents of LD 227 – a bill to protect Maine health care practitioners who provide legal patient care for transgender people and people seeking reproductive care – made bomb threats at the State and the personal homes of lawmakers. These threats sparked fear and disrupted the work of legislators, non-partisan staff, and Legislative Committees.

Thankfully, no bomb was found at the State House or in the homes of the legislators who sponsored LD 227. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the work of the legislature was only delayed by a few hours.

But the message, and the attempt to influence policy through intimidation, were clear: if you cannot win on the merits – win through fear.

We remain incredibly grateful to the legislators who continue their important work for all people of Maine on the many vital issues impacting them, and who now must do so in the face of these threats.

So we want to send a different message. A message of gratitude and strength. Of acknowledgment and partnership with legislators committed to making a positive difference for our State.

If you live in Maine, please email the members of the Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services as well as House and Senate leadership today to thank them for their work and ask them to move LD 227 forward this session.

To be clear, LD 227 is a straightforward bill. It seeks to protect Maine health care workers who provide essential, legal-in-Maine reproductive health care and transgender health care grounded in standards of care. It recognizes the very real efforts of actors outside of Maine to impose the hostile laws of other states against providers and patients in Maine. There are already 17 other states plus D.C. that have enacted shield laws for these same reasons.

We can’t allow violent rhetoric and threats to stop the important work of our legislature and of protecting our communities. We need our legislators and the public to know that we hold true to our values around caring for all people.

An essential component of that work is protecting those who provide essential, legal reproductive and transgender health care as proposed in LD 227.

There are many vital policy issues pending before the legislature this session that will make Maine safer, fairer, and more just for all people up and down our state.

One area of pressing need is increased statewide access to community-based mental and behavioral health care, as well as supports and services for substance use and addiction. These include:

LD 2237 – An Act to Strengthen Public Safety, Health and Well-being by Expanding Services and Coordinating Violence Prevention Resources
LD 1305 – Resolve, to Design and Implement a Community-based Model of Care for Adolescent Mental Health
LD 2002 – An Act to Provide Incentives to Schools That Contract for Certain Social Work and Family Therapy Services
LD 1178 – Resolve, to Reduce Barriers to Recovery from Addiction by Expanding Eligibility for Targeted Case Management Services
LD 2136 – An Act to Provide Financial Support for Shelters for Unhoused Individuals (with accompanying changes in the State Supplemental Budget)
LD 2214 – Which provides essential funding for Maine’s low barrier shelters.
LD 1779 – An Act to Develop a Continuum of Care for Youth Involved in the Justice System [proposed amendment to prevent justice involvement by law enforcement diversion to assessment rather than arrest, where appropriate]

Another is passing legislation to improve Maine’s gun safety laws, both in light of the mass shooting in Lewiston, as well as our rates of suicide by gun and domestic violence homicides involving firearms:

LD 2237 – An Act to Strengthen Public Safety, Health and Well-being by Expanding Services and Coordinating Violence Prevention Resources
LD 2224 – An Act to Strengthen Public Safety by Improving Maine’s Firearm Laws and Mental Health System
LD 2238 – An Act to Address Gun Violence in Maine by Requiring a Waiting Period for Certain Firearm Purchases

Other vital proposals would protect the right to sovereignty and self-determination of Wabanaki nations, bring to reality the commitment to teaching African American and Wabanaki History, establish a statewide data collection system, and protect the constitutional rights of defendants to legal representation.

LD 2007– An Act to Advance Self-determination for Wabanaki Nations
LD 2001 – Resolve, to Establish the African American and Wabanaki Studies Advisory Council and Provide Funding to Support African American Studies and Wabanaki Studies – to establish an advisory council with funding for content expertise and developing curricula and training)
LD 1948, An Act to Amend the State’s Data Governance Program – to develop a statewide governance plan for Maine with definitions for standards and definitions for a range of demographic characteristics, in collaboration with Secretary of State and Permanent Comm’n on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Tribal Populations, and stakeholder consultation
LD 2214, Part WW – An Act to Make Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations [in the State Budget] for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2025 – (to support adequate funding for Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services)

GLAD supports the passage of all of these bills, and we are proud to collaborate with so many partners in Maine, including Planned Parenthood of Northern New England on LD 227. We need action on LD 227 NOW to keep it moving forward despite the use of intimidation to defeat it, and we need to add our voices to support for other bills that are vital to keeping Maine a welcoming and safe place for all. Your calls and emails to legislators matter enormously.

Please email the members of the Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services (HCIFS) as well as House and Senate leadership to thank them for their work and to ask them to advance LD 227 and these other important bills in this session.

Thank you for taking action and thank you for all you do to ensure LGBTQ+ people, and all people, can be healthy, happy, and safe.

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By Polly Crozier, Director of Family Advocacy

The ideological effort to roll back the clock on autonomy and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people and all women hit another milestone recently when the Alabama Supreme Court issued an alarming decision saying that frozen embryos are children, shutting down access to IVF in the state and sending shockwaves across the country. The resulting legislative “fix” in Alabama was no fix and further undermined hopeful parents and their efforts to build their families.

It was a staggeringly clear example of increasing efforts to control our lives and our most personal decisions: to cut off access to fertility healthcare, ban contraception, outlaw abortion in any form without exception, end access to critical healthcare for transgender people, preclude the formation of LGBTQ+ families, and even ban no-fault divorce and take the freedom to marry away from same-sex couples.

But as the outcry against that Alabama ruling shows, people across the country are saying no to that agenda of fear and control.

At GLAD, we are fighting alongside our partners and allies every day to protect our hard-won rights and push back against these attacks, so we can all live how we deserve to – freely, authentically, and joyfully.

In the past week alone, GLAD has:

Advocated in state houses for crucial shield bills to protect access to reproductive and transgender healthcare in Maine and Rhode Island, while we continue our federal legal challenges to bans on essential healthcare for transgender people in Alabama and Florida. These important bills would build on GLAD’s work to pass shield laws in Massachusetts (2022) and Vermont (2023).
Championed equitable coverage for fertility healthcare before multiple Connecticut legislative committees, so that Connecticut law reflects the standard of care ensuring LGBTQ+ people and single people on private insurance and Medicaid have access to the healthcare they need to build their families. GLAD was invited to appear with U.S. Senator Blumenthal to advocate not only for the Connecticut legislation but also for the federal Access to Family Building Act that seeks a national right to fertility healthcare.
Continued our work to update parentage laws in all states so that children of LGBTQ+ parents and children born through assisted reproduction are secure. We appeared in support of the Michigan Family Protection Act, which would repeal Michigan’s criminal ban on surrogacy and ensure protections for children born through assisted reproduction and surrogacy, in the state senate, and hope to see that bill, and a similar bill in Massachusetts, signed into law this session. As we see legislative and court actions put our families at risk, we must pass robust parentage bills like these to protect children and parents.
As the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard arguments Monday in Braidwood v. Becerra, a case about whether health insurers will have to continue to cover highly effective preventatives like HIV PrEP without copays or deductibles, our friend-of-the-court brief warned that upholding the lower court’s ruling would result in tens of thousands of preventable new HIV cases. GLAD continues to advocate for legislation to remove barriers to PrEP and address the racial disparities in access, including making PrEP available through pharmacies and without insurance prior authorization requirements which create unnecessary delays.

The agenda of fear and control won’t win.

With your support today and in the days to come, together we can protect our access to essential healthcare, our right to build our families, and our freedom to make important, personal decisions about our own lives.

News you may have missed:

Boston Review: GLAD Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights Jennifer Levi and NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter in conversation about the decades-long fight for transgender rights

MassLive: Highlighting LGBTQ+ leaders in Massachusetts, including GLAD Director of Family Advocacy Polly Crozier and GLAD Board Member and CEO of TransHealth Dallas Ducar

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Join us in celebrating amazing LGBTQ+ activists for Women’s History Month. These incredible women, femmes, and nonbinary folks are making history. We’re excited to share their stories, whether they are storytellers, trailblazers, educators, or all of the above.

Lena Waithe is a writer, producer, and actor who created and executive produces The Chi. Lena was the first Black woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2017 for her writing on Master of None. In The Chi, Master of None, and her other work, Lena is known for centering Black LGBTQ+ characters and stories.

Danica Roem (she/her) was a journalist before she turned to politics, covering everything from education and business to transportation. She won the 2017 race for the Virginia House of Delegates, making her the first transgender person to be elected to office in the Virginia General Assembly. When she won in 2019 she made history again as the first transgender state legislator to be reelected. In 2023 she ran and won for State Senate, becoming the first trans state senator in the US South. Danica released a memoir in 2022, Burn the Page.

Dr. Margaret Chung 张玛珠 (she/her) was the first Chinese American woman to become a physician. Throughout her career, Margaret, or “Mom” as her adopted family knew her, persevered against discrimination based on her race, gender, and presumed sexuality. During World War II, Dr. Chung used her influence to support the war effort and lobbied for the creation of WAVES, the US Naval Women’s Reserve. Although she faced prejudice on multiple fronts, Margaret forged a distinctive path for herself throughout her life.

Lani Ka’ahumanu (she/her) is Kanaka Maoli and a leading activist who has worked for greater visibility for bisexuals both within the LGBTQ+ movement as well as broader society. An author, community organizer, and health advocate, she has been a driving force behind the fight against biphobia since 1980. In 1983, Lani co-founded BiPOL, the first feminist bisexual political action group, which first focused on education and advocacy during the AIDS epidemic. She went on to become a key organizer of a group that would become known as BiNet USA, and then a founding organizer of the San Francisco Bay Area Bisexual Network (BABN). Lani published the anthology Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out in 1991, a major text in the modern bisexual rights movement and was listed by
the Lambda Book Review as one of the top 100 GLBT books of the twentieth century.

Lamya H (she/they) is a queer, brown, nonbinary, Muslim writer. A former Lambda Literary, Aspen Words, and Queer|Arts fellow, her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Salon, Vice, Autostraddle, Vox, and more. Their memoir, Hijab Butch Blues was released in 2023 and traces their literal and figurative journeys of coming of age and finding a connection to figures in the Qu’ran as a way to navigate her identities as a practicing Muslim, queer, and gender non-conforming person, immigrant, and fierce social justice advocate.

Kai Cheng Thom (she/her) is a writer, performer, facilitator, and speaker, whose novel Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir runs the genre gamut from fantasy coming-of-age tale to magical realism memoir. She has been a finalist for Lambda Literary, Stonewall Book Award, and Publishing Triangle Award. Kai Cheng’s essays have appeared in Buzzfeed, them, and Everyday Feminism, often on issues like transformative justice, radical love, and much more.

Frida Kahlo (she/her) was a Mexican artist whose work was inspired by nature and Indigenous Mexican culture. She suffered polio as a child and at eighteen was involved in a bus accident that led her to have over 30 surgeries. Bedridden from the collision, she turned to painting. Her deeply symbolic work had a huge impact on art history and the LGBTQ+ community. Her work has been celebrated internationally by feminists, often because of the way she used self-portraiture to explore her gender and gender expression, and many of her pieces have been used in political activism and pop culture.

Tracy Chapman (she/her) is an American singer and songwriter popularly known for her singles Fast Car and Give Me One Reason. Her iconic 1988 song Fast Car became an LGBTQ+ anthem during the 1980s when queerness was still being swept under the mat. It also brought Tracy one of three Grammys she brought home that year. The song has been covered multiple times, but reemerged in a big way when Luke Combs’ version hit number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in July 2023, leading her to win Country Music Awards Song of the Year in 2023 – the first time a Black songwriter has won in the category. Tracy is an advocate and activist for racial and gender equity, human rights, and HIV/AIDS.

Marylize Biubwa (they/them) is a nonbinary queer lesbian activist from Nairobi, Kenya who extensively advocates for LGBTQ+ rights in Kenya. Marylize uses social media platforms to dispel myths about women’s sexuality and the LGBTQ+ community. Kenya still has colonial-era laws that criminalize same-sex sex, and there are current attacks on LGBTQ+ justice that Marylize is working against, such as ensuring access to education for LGBTQ+ youth.

Rosie Jones (she/ her) is a stand-up comedian, actor, and screenwriter who lives with ataxia cerebral palsy and came out as a lesbian years ago. Rosie created the TV short Disability Benefits in 2022, hosted the miniseries Disability Comedy Extravaganza, and was a writer on season two of Netflix’s Sex Education. She is passionate about intersectionality related to sexuality, gender, race, and disability and works these passions into her comedy and other areas of her work.

Stella Nyanzi (she/her) is a Ugandan activist and medical anthropologist who, in her own words, is “a radical queer African feminist activist who contests patriarchy, misogyny, heteronormativity and homophobia.” She is a poet and scholar, and released a paper, “Dismantling Reified African Culture through Localised Homosexualities in Uganda,” which critiques Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and the dominant narrative in such harmful legal writing that “queerness is ‘un-African.’” Stella was imprisoned twice on charges of criticizing Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Stella currently lives in Germany on a “Writers in Exile” program with her children.

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GLAD Responds to Unprecedented Alabama Supreme Court Ruling Undermining Access to Family-building Healthcare

Today, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) issued the following statement from Polly Crozier, GLAD’s Director of Family Advocacy, on the Alabama Supreme Court decision in LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine.

“Fertility healthcare enables many Americans to have children and build a family. Bringing children into your family is about love, hope, and nurturing the next generation.

“That’s why the Alabama Supreme Court decision in LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine is so sad and shocking. It seeks to prevent people from having children in a safe, effective, and common medical procedure—in vitro fertilization—that so many rely on. In an unprecedented ruling, the Alabama court concluded that a frozen embryo, created by hopeful parents with assistance from medical providers to build their family, is legally a child. This has untold, devastating, and heartbreaking consequences for people seeking to have children. The journey of infertility is stressful emotionally, physically, and financially, and this ruling threatens to snatch the opportunity of a family from many. Already, at least three clinics in Alabama halted their IVF services out of fear of running afoul of the ruling.

This case is yet another terrible outcome of a broader effort to control not only women, but to dictate how all Americans should actualize the most intimate parts of our lives, including when and how to form a family.

“Those who want to take us backward are working overtime to advance an extremist agenda: a complete ban on abortion, criminalization of fertility healthcare and healthcare for transgender people, reversing marriage equality, targeting LGBTQ+ parents and young people, and inserting government into our most personal and family decisions – with frightening implications for all of us.

“We must also work overtime, collectively and with urgency to protect our common values of freedom and family autonomy. GLAD remains deeply committed to working in collaboration across movements to keep fighting for these shared values. We will continue our work to expand access to healthcare for family building—as we have done in Maine and are currently working on with partners in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and federally—and also protect children born through assisted reproduction and surrogacy through vitally needed protections like the Massachusetts Parentage Act.”