News
July 27, 2016
New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster has joined a brief with Attorneys General from eleven other states asking a federal district judge not to bar implementation of Obama Administration rules and guidance concerning fair treatment of transgender students and workers.
The friend-of-the-court brief, led by Washington state, was filed today in a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Administration’s policy that transgender people are protected under existing civil rights laws, including guidance issued to schools earlier this year that transgender students should be able to use restrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity.
“We applaud Attorney General Foster for standing up for sound policy in New Hampshire,” says Janson Wu, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) Executive Director. “Administrators in school systems across the state are already starting to do the right thing by treating transgender students fairly, and the Obama Administration guidance only strengthens that resolve. By joining this brief, the Attorney General is demonstrating that New Hampshire is heading in the right direction with regard to fair treatment of transgender students.”
“Transgender and gender non-conforming students are a part of our schools across New Hampshire,” says Shana Aisenberg of TG-NH. “Schools like those in Portsmouth have already realized that the best way to create the optimal learning environment for everyone is for schools to respect transgender students for who they are, without exception. As a teacher myself, I see the positive impact that this has on all our students every day.”
On June 30, New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan issued an Executive Order prohibiting discrimination in state employment, programs and government contracts based on gender identity and expression. New Hampshire does not yet have explicit statutory non-discrimination protections for transgender people.