Imani Fleming
New Hampshire State Sen. Debra Altschiller is defending the rights for transgender girls.
ATKINSON, N.H. —
The debate over a new state law requiring school sports teams to be organized by a student’s sex at birth is not over.
Two weeks ago, Gov. Chris Sununu signed HB-1205, one of several bills related to gender issues this session.
“I’m very grateful he signed,” said former college athlete Riley Gaines at the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women’s Real Women’s Gala in Atkinson Saturday evening. “I know there are hundreds and thousands of women in New Hampshire that are also sharing the same sentiment.”
At the event, Gaines discussed her advocacy campaign against transgender inclusion in women’s sports, which began in 2022 after she tied for the NCAA 200-yard freestyle championship with a female transgender swimmer.
“This is not a political issue to me, this is a humanitarian issue,” Gaines told WMUR. “It’s not inclusive to ask us as women to smile and step aside and allow these men onto our podiums. That is exclusive.”
Local supporters of the new law say the separation prioritized the safety of students.
“If someone is not a biological female, it presents a danger,” said state Sen. Bill Gannon, R-Sandown. “It presents a privacy factor for women in the bathrooms.”
However, opponents of the law say the athletes themselves are not the threat.
“I think when the full force of the New Hampshire state government comes crashing down on the heads of 10- to 17-year-old transgender girls, that’s pretty unsafe,” said state Sen. Debra Atschiller, D-Stratham. “They are not aggressors. They are being bullied by the New Hampshire state government."