In the first case to test the sexual orientation protections in the New Hampshire public accommodations anti-discrimination laws, GLAD successfully resolved a claim by a patient who was denied treatment by her dentist because she was a lesbian.  The dentist had treated T.T. for nearly three years.  When she was asked to update a standard office form, she wrote the name of her female partner above the line marked “spouse.”

When she arrived for her next appointment, the dentist confronted her in the lobby of the office, outraged that T.T. listed a woman as her spouse, claiming that treating her would be against his philosophy, and telling her that had he known, he would never have treated her in the first place.  GLAD filed a complaint on T.T.’s behalf with the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights, which, after an investigation, issued a probable cause decision crediting her allegations of discrimination.  The defendant removed the case to Belknap County Superior Court, and after lengthy discussions, the case has been resolved to the satisfaction of the parties.