New Hampshire
New Hampshire town’s manager resigns over homophobic attacks
Town Manager Jim Gleason stepped down from his position, citing the hateful remarks about his late son, who was gay
LITTLETON, N.H. ā Angry residents of picturesque Littleton, New Hampshire gathered this past Monday demanding an apology for the homophobic remarks made by select board member Carrie Gendreau who called āhomosexuality an abominationā and accused a local theatre company of pushing “demonic” pro-LGBTQ+ messages.
There was no apology instead the Town Manager Jim Gleason stepped down from his position, citing the pain he said he experienced during the controversy. Gleason said he has been subject to hateful remarks about his late son, who was gay.
āI’ve been here almost three years, and, yes, I’m an outsider when I came and still the guy from Florida and whatever,ā Gleason said in an interview with New Hampshire Public Radio. āThis is a beautiful community. There are some great people in this community that I’ve got to work with.ā
This past summer, North Country Pride, which hosts an annual Pride Festival in the town, collaborated with local artists and the United Way to install the murals. While the artwork generated mostly positive feedback from the community, they led the three-person board to consider banning all public art.
Board member Carrie Gendreau, a conservative Republican who is also a state Senator, first complained about the murals at a town board meeting in August. Gendreau elaborated to The Boston Globe that she believes āhomosexuality is an abominationā and explained that she follows to the writings of doomsday cultist Jonathan Cahn.
Among Cahnās fringe theories is a belief that rainbows are demonic symbols that power the ancient Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, who wants vengeance on Christianity for marginalizing her.
The board, which leans conservative even though the town voted nearly 50-50 Biden-Trump in 2020, wanted to ban all LGBT art, but found that there wasnāt a way they could do that without running afoul of anti-discrimination and free speech laws. So instead, the board announced they would consider banning all art in public places.
The murals arenāt the only queer art in the town boardās sights.
A local production of the classic gay musical La Cage Aux Folles in the town Opera House has also been the target of attempted censorship by the town board.
The 1983 Tony Award-winning musical by Jerry Harmon and Harvey Fierstein tells the story of a gay couple who own a drag nightclub and try to pretend to a be a straight couple when their son becomes engaged to the daughter of a conservative politician. It was adapted into the 1996 film The Birdcage.
Theatre UP President Courtney Vashaw says the company was inspired to put on La Cage after far-right protestors disrupted a drag queen story hour at the local library.
After Monday’s meeting and his resignation, Gleason told NHPR he hopes that, with his departure, the board and community will be able to move forward.
At the meeting, select board Chair Roger Emerson said the board was never planning to ban public art. Emerson and Gendreau suggested the idea could have come from Theatre UP leaders and possibly Gleason.
Gleason told NHPR he feels a review of art still places the town in a predicament.
āI will say nowhere in any email from the Board of Selectmen or in public comment did they ever use the word āban,ā ā Gleason said. āBut when someone says, āwe need to do something to ensure that this art on these private buildings doesn’t make it onto public propertyā ā that to me is a ban. Because the board has two choices: They cannot regulate content, so they either allow it or they don’t.ā
Kerri Harrington, co-chair of North Country Pride, a nonprofit that supports LGBTQ+ people in the area, told NHPR it’s been a difficult chapter for Littleton and that Mondayās meeting was a bit of a shock to not receive an apology. The meeting also closed with a reading by Gendreau, in which Harrington said people walked out on feeling upset by its contents.
āPeople were angry and sad, and it’s been really rough, it’s not been feeling great around here,ā Herrington said. āNow we’re in a predicament because we’re not going to have a town manager.ā
Additional reporting by Rob Salerno and New Hampshire Public Radio
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Senate tables anti-trans bill
āWe hope that they will uphold the same rights when they vote on HB 396, a bill that would also allow discrimination”
CONCORD, NHĀ ā The New Hampshire State Senate last week unanimously voted to table a bill that would have rolled back some of the nondiscrimination protections that outlaw discrimination against transgender people in public spaces. This effectively stops the bill from moving forward.Ā
The bill, SB 562, would have rolled back key provisions of the 2018 law against discrimination that was updated to include transgender people and promoting the exclusion of transgender people from sports including recreational leagues, as well as restrooms. SB 562 would also subject transgender people to carceral settings where they would be more likely to face violence on the basis of their gender identity.
āIn 2018, I was proud to have managed the campaign that made New Hampshire the first-ever state to pass nondiscrimination protections for transgender people in public spaces,āĀ said Linds Jakows, founder of 603 Equality. āToday, the NH State Senate rightly took a stand against discrimination in voting down SB 562. But itās not over yet ā they must again say no to discrimination whenĀ HB 396, which is nearly identical to SB 562, comes to the State Senate floor for a vote.āĀ
āIn 2019 Governor Sununu signed a law that extended New Hampshireās transgender-inclusive nondiscrimination protections to public schools, bolstering the rights that all public school students have to equal educational opportunities,āĀ said Sarah Robinson, Education Justice Campaign Director with Granite State Progress.Ā āAll students, including those who are transgender, must be treated with dignity and respect as they are in order to have a safe learning environment. We thank the NH State Senate for standing up for that right today, and expect them to do the same when they vote on HB 396.ā
āNH has a long and proud tradition of creating communities where every child can thrive,āĀ said Heidi Carrington Heath, Executive Director of Seacoast Outright. āLGBTQ+ youth deserve safe schools, healthy communities, and opportunities for joy and participation just like their peers. We are thankful that today the NH State Senate stood up for their right to live free, and be fully who they are at home, at school, and every space in between. That is what it means to build a brighter future where everyone is understood, valued, and protected.ā
āIn 2018, a strong bipartisan majority passed a law signed by Governor Sununu to protect transgender Granite Staters from discrimination. Today, the Senate rejected a cruel bill that would have written discriminationĀ intoĀ the law,āĀ said Chris Erchull, Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. āThis vote affirms the New Hampshire value that everyone deserves the same opportunity to live their lives on fair terms, free from discrimination. I hope the Senate will take the same stand when they vote on a nearly identical bill, HB 396.ā
āNH has protected the rights of all of its residents in the past and despite multiple threats to those rights this legislative session, we are grateful to see the NH State Senate uphold those rights by voting against SB 562,āĀ said Grace Murray, Political Director of NH Youth Movement.Ā āWe hope that they will take the same stance and uphold the same rights when they vote on HB 396, a bill that would also allow discrimination against trans people. No person should be discriminated against based on who they are.ā
New Hampshire
New Hampshire bill passes, bars trans kids from girlsā sports teams
āThis bill targets a small group of student athletes claiming there is a categorical advantage when there is notā
ByĀ Ethan DeWittĀ | CONCORD, N.H. – The New Hampshire House approved a bill to bar transgender girls from participating in female sports teams in K-12 schools and public colleges and universities, in a 189-182 vote that drew criticism from LGBTQ+ rights groups.
House Bill 1205 would require parents of students to produce a birth certificate to prove to school districts their childās sex at birth before they could participate in a team sport. Those students whose birth certificate does not indicate their sex at birth would need to āprovide other evidenceā for it, according to the bill.
The bill would require all interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic teams that are sponsored by a school to label themselves according to binary genders. The teams would need to be labeled into three groups: āmales,ā āmen,ā or āboysā; āfemales,ā āwomen,ā or āgirlsā; and ācoedā or āmixed.ā Teams designated for āfemales,ā āwomen,ā or āgirlsā would not be allowed to accept people born biologically male.
Under the bill, a student who is aggrieved by a lack of compliance with the bill could bring legal action against the school and seek damages or injunctive relief from a court, in addition to attorneyās fees. The legislation would also bar any licensing or accrediting organization, athletic association, or government entity from āentertainingā a complaint against a school on the basis of separating teams by genders, opening an investigation, or taking adverse action.
The bill would apply to grades 5 through 12.
Supporters of the bill characterized it as a womenās rights issue, and argued that trans girls and women who are born biologically male can have an unfair physiological advantage over their cisgender peers. They said the bill would uphold the spirit of Title IX, which barred sex-based discrimination in educational programs, arguing that limiting sports to cisgender women would protect the purpose of female sports teams.
But opponents denounced the bill as an attack on the rights of trans girls and women to participate in sports, and they said the bill would put schools in violation of Title IX, not in alignment with it.
āThis bill targets a small group of student athletes claiming there is a categorical advantage when there is not,ā said Rep. Alexis Simpson, an Exeter Democrat.
Speaking to the House Thursday, Simpson raised privacy concerns around how students who donāt have applicable birth certificates could prove their biological gender.
Simpson added that the bill could directly violate Title IX because it would bar boys from participating on girls teams, which is not allowed under Title IX. That could require schools to designate all girls teams as coed teams to avoid the potential for funding to be withdrawn, she said.
And she said the bill would violate the federal law for a more basic reason: It would bar opportunities for trans students to access the sports team of their gender identity, and Title IX prohibits sex-based exclusion.
āTitle IX protects student athletes, ensuring they can participate in the sport at their school if it is offered, even if itās not offered for their specific gender,ā Simpson said. āTitle IX is how girls were able to start participating in sports in the first place.ā
Some rights groups, such as 603 Equality, Seacoast Outright, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, and GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, denounced the billās passage.
āToday, the so-called āLive Free or Dieā 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,ā said Linds Jakows, founder of 603 Equality.
But Republicans argued that trans girls would not be shut out from sports and would only need to join coed or boysā teams.
Rep. Katy Peternel, a Wolfeboro Republican, said the bill was necessary because the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association had passed a policy that allows trans students to play on sports teams. Without the bill, there was no recourse to other girls who felt it was unfair.
Peternel argued that some girls could be cut from higher teams because they are displaced by trans girls, which could affect their ability to acquire scholarships in college.
āWhat about the girls whose self-esteem and mental health suffers because they canāt live out their true authentic selves?ā Peternel said. āThese girls work hard to train and practice only to have their dreams crushed by allowing biological males to compete in womenās sports.ā
For Lane, a transgender woman who requested that her last name be omitted, competing in girls sports as a transgender girl was also important to living out her authentic self.
As a fifth grader, Lane was quickly enamored with soccer, following in the footsteps of her dad, who played it in college. āItās sort of ingrained in my DNA,ā she said in an interview with the Bulletin. āI just found so much joy in doing it.ā
Fifth grade was the first year Lane played soccer, at a private school in Maine. It was also the year she came out as a trans girl to her school. Her classmates and teachers were supportive, she said. And the girlsā soccer team welcomed her, too.
āI was accepted by everyone,ā said Lane, who has since graduated high school. āI was seen as a girl. I went to the bathroom as a girl. ā¦ And it would be weird if there was an exception on the soccer field.ā
Lane, who testified against HB 1205 earlier this year, said while she had an accepting environment growing up, other transgender students do not, and bills barring them from girlsā sports would only exacerbate that. If her school had prevented her from joining her girlsā team, she would not have played, she said.
āSports are a huge part of upbringing,ā she said. āTheyāre a huge part of growing up. Trans kids are kids and they shouldnāt be denied that experience because theyāre trans.ā
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Ethan DeWitt is the New Hampshire Bulletinās education reporter. Previously, he worked as the New Hampshire State House reporter for the Concord Monitor, covering the state, the Legislature, and the New Hampshire presidential primary. A Westmoreland native, Ethan started his career as the politics and health care reporter at the Keene Sentinel.
Email:Ā [email protected]
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The preceding article was previously published by the New Hampshire Bulletin and is republished with permission.
New Hampshire Bulletin is part ofĀ States Newsroom, the nationās largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire official tried to ban gay art wonāt run for re-election
Carrie Gendreau told the Boston Globe āhomosexuality is an abominationā and says she believes rainbows are demonic
By Rob Salerno | LITTLETON, N.H. – The Littleton, New Hampshire town councilor who led a drive to ban all public art after a group installed rainbow-themed murals on the side of a restaurant is not running for re-election, after failing to file papers by the Feb 2 deadline.
Carrie Gendreau, who told the Boston Globe āhomosexuality is an abominationā and has repeated the theories of doomsday cultist Jonathan Cahn, who believes that rainbows are demonic symbols that empower the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, who wants to subjugate Christians. She has served on the Littleton Board of Selectmen since 2018.
Gendreau also currently serves in the New Hampshire Senate, representing District 1, and is up for reelection in November. She has not responded to questions from the Blade or other outlets about whether she intends to run again. Gendreau beat her Democratic opponent 55-45 in 2022, her first election.
New Hampshire has one of the most closely divided state legislatures in the country and will be a closely watched battleground in November.
Last fall, the Littleton Board moved to ban all public art, after North Country Pride and the United Way installed a series of small murals that were meant to celebrate diversity. The board had initially wanted to ban only LGBTQ-themed art but was told that would run afoul of the first amendment right to free speech.
The board had also moved to punish the local theatre company, which put on a production of the classic gay-themed play La Cage Aux Folles (The Birdcage). Theatre UP was told that the Board wanted the production cancelled, and that its contract with the town-owned Opera House where they mount their shows may not be renewed when it comes up in May. While the board did not make a decision, Theatre UP has responded by deciding to find or build a new venue anyway.
Theatre UP was honored for its āintegrity, grace, and loveā in the face of the controversy at the 19th Annual New Hampshire Theatre Alliance Awards in January, while BJ Williams took how the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Community Production of a Musical for playing the flamboyantly gay butler Jacob in the show.
The homophobic attacks from Gendreau and the other board members drew intense criticism from the community, who demanded an apology at the January board meeting. Gendreau offered no apology.
Instead, in a surprise move, the townās manager Jim Gleason resigned, citing the stress caused by the controversy, and dogged personal attacks from anti-LGBT bigots who sent him hateful messages about his late son who was gay.
The moves caught headlines across the country and around the world, most of it negative, says Kerri Harrington, one of the organizers of North Country Pride. Harrington is one of four candidates who have filed for the March 12 election to fill Gendreauās seat.
āItās been a rollercoaster. Personally, I think weāve turned the corner of the shock and anger, and Iām looking forward to the future. We know our community is not what was represented by that one voice. The larger voice has been one of inclusion and moving forward and progress in many issues, not just LGBT issues. I feel like the next story about Littleton is going to be positive,ā she says.
Harrington, who is married to a man, says she has been a supporter of the LGBT community since she was a child.
āI was brought up to be open minded and to fight when I can with my privilege and allyship. Two of my aunts growing up were openly lesbian. They were always part of my family. Watching their struggles and having to fight for marriage equality, it became important to me by a very young age, because these were people I love,ā Harrington says. āPeople ask me, if youāre married to a guy, why would you be involved, and I always say, āWhy wouldnāt I be involved in fighting peopleās rights?āā
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Rob Salerno is a writer and journalist based in Los Angeles, California, and Toronto, Canada.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire council moves to ban all art after LGBTQ mural
Town board has also taken aim at local theatre company production of La Cage Aux Folles, the 1983 Tony Award-winning musical
By Rob SalernoĀ | LITTLETON, N.H. ā Picturesque Littleton, New Hampshire frequently ranks near the top of lists of the best or most quintessential small towns in America, thanks to its bustling main street, fine dining options, and local arts scene.
But the anti-LGBTQ animus of the townās small Board of Selectmen is threatening to destroy that hard-won reputation, and itās all because of a small mural celebrating diversity installed on the side of a Chinese restaurant.
This summer, North Country Pride, which hosts an annual Pride Festival in the town, collaborated with local artists and the United Way to install the murals. While the artwork generated mostly positive feedback from the community, they have led the three-person board to consider banning all public art.
āAre we the county in Footloose?ā says Kerri Harrington, one of the organizers of North Country Pride. āItās frightening and kind of humorous.ā
Board member Carrie Gendreau, a conservative Republican who is also a state Senator, first complained about the murals at a town board meeting in August. Gendreau elaborated to The Boston Globe that she believes āhomosexuality is an abominationā and explained that she follows to the writings of doomsday cultist Jonathan Cahn.
Among Cahnās fringe theories is a belief that rainbows are demonic symbols that power the ancient Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, who wants vengeance on Christianity for marginalizing her.
The board, which leans conservative even though the town voted nearly 50-50 Biden-Trump in 2020, wanted to ban all LGBT art, but found that there wasnāt a way they could do that without running afoul of anti-discrimination and free speech laws. So instead, the board announced they would consider banning all art in public places.
As soon as the bans were floated, Harrington says she contacted the ACLU of New Hampshire, which is now monitoring the town in case the ban is put into law.
The proposal has understandably created tension and division in the small town. The September meeting where the ban proposal was first discussed drew 300 people ā from a town of just over 6000 ā to speak against it.
Although the ban has not advanced, Harrington says groups opposed to it are ensuring that 25 to 30 people attend all monthly town board meetings to ensure that board doesnāt try to introduce it without notice.
āPeople are upset,ā Harrington says. āPeople are starting to say, āWell, I donāt want to visit your town.āā
The murals arenāt the only queer art in the town boardās sights.
A local production of the classic gay musical La Cage Aux Folles in the town Opera House has also been the target of attempted censorship by the town board.
The 1983 Tony Award-winning musical by Jerry Harmon and Harvey Fierstein tells the story of a gay couple who own a drag nightclub and try to pretend to a be a straight couple when their son becomes engaged to the daughter of a conservative politician. It was adapted into the 1996 film The Birdcage.
Theatre UP President Courtney Vashaw says the company was inspired to put on La Cage after far-right protestors disrupted a drag queen story hour at the local library.
āIt was very ugly. White supremacists were getting involved, 80-year-old librarians were being threatened in their homes. We thought, how can we bring voice to this issue in a way that was palatable to the North Country public?ā Vashaw says.
Vashaw says the company was told the board wanted to cancel the production, but it was unable to do so because the company had a contract with the town-owned Opera House. But the city general manager has told them that the board may block the companyās contract when it comes up for renewal in May.
āWhen we first heard that Carrie [Gendreau] was speaking out about the LGBTQ artwork, we knew that it was also about us. The fact that it was still part of the conversation was kind of gut-wrenching,ā she says.Ā
The town boardās antipathy to the company may also directly cause Littleton to lose a multi-million-dollar infrastructure investment. The company has secured grants and donations to build a new home, but is now reluctant to go ahead in Littleton.
āWe have millions of dollars that we are looking to invest in a community performing space. Right now, thereās no way weāre making a commitment to partner with the town of Littleton,ā Vashaw says.
Despite the threats from the city, the company pressed ahead with its show, which opened last Friday.
āWe didnāt know what to expect going in. We had police presence in case things got weird, but the outpouring of love and support was absolutely magnificent,ā she says.
Vashaw says that the controversy has actually helped drive attention to the theatre, with the first three shows being completely full houses ā a rarity for most small-town theatres.
āThis whole crazy issue has been both a blessing and a curse. It has brought people to the theatre that we donāt know if we would have gotten otherwise,ā she says. āThatās what makes it worth doing a show to begin with ā to get texts and emails from people about how they felt seen and they cried five times because they could relate to the songs so well.ā
Whatever the town board does, residents will get to weigh in soon. Gendreau is up for reelection to the town board in March and to the New Hampshire senate next November.
āIām hopeful that more level heads will prevail, and some good candidates will show up that will be a better fit for our communities,ā Varshaw says.
As for the murals, Harrington says sheās not afraid the town is going to be able to stop public art.
āThereās plans for lots more art. No oneās going anywhere,ā she says.
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Rob Salerno is a writer and journalist based in Los Angeles, California, and Toronto, Canada.
New Hampshire
Trans-youth leaps to death off overpass in New Hampshire
Multiple sources alleged that bullying/transphobia factored into the death although the Blade has been unable to verify any of those claims
MANCHESTER, N.H. – A 14-year-old trans youth left his school, walked down Huse Road to the overpass on top of busy Interstate 293, climbed the 6 foot chain-link fence installed by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to prevent people falling off the older bridge and its low siderails, and lept into eastbound traffic.
A spokesperson for the Rainbow Youth Project confirmed in a phone call Monday that Nova Dunn, a student at Southside Middle School, died as a result of suicide. The New Hampshire State Police while not commenting, citing an ongoing investigation, confirmed the incident and the resulting “hours-long traffic jam at the location” just east of the Mall of New Hampshire.
A friend of the family, Stacey Greenberg, wrote in the GoFundMe post to raise the funds to defray the cost of the funeral:
“Hello, this is Stacey a friend of Melissa and Mom to one of Novaās close friends. No one should have to outlive their child but Melissa has now experienced this twice. On Wednesday afternoon, 14 year old Nova left this earth and found the peace and acceptance he was searching for.”
The New Hampshire Union Leader reported that Manchester School District Superintendent Jenn Gillis sent an email to district families Wednesday night that said in part: “It is with deep sadness that we inform you that one of our students has died unexpectedly.”
Gillis wrote that: “This loss may raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for our entire school community, especially our students.”
Manchester School District spokesperson Andrew Toland, in a press statement, noted that counselors from other Manchester area schools and the state’s Disaster Behavior Health Response Team spent Thursday at the school “directly impacted” by the death.
“Our focus in the coming days and weeks is to be supportive of our students, families and staff,” said Toland.
Multiple sources alleged that bullying and transphobia factored into the death of the teen, although the Blade has been unable to verify any of those claims.
In the past few months there has been considerable attention focused on trans-youth nationally, particularly around school policies regarding trans youth health care and gender identity. Last month, New Hampshire Public radio reported that the New Hampshire Supreme Court heard arguments in a case brought by a Manchester parent challenging school policies around transgender and nonbinary students.
The parent says she was kept in the dark when her child began using a different name and identifying as a different gender at school ā something the parent objected to, NHPR reported.
At issue is a district policy that says Manchester school staff generally shouldnāt disclose when a student identifies as transgender or gender nonconforming, without that studentās permission.
New Hampshire Republican lawmakers are rallying behind legislation that would force schools to disclose a studentās gender identity to parents when asked. The House narrowly rejected one such proposal last month, but another remains on the table after passing the Senate along party lines.
In an interview on Rated LGBT Radio with Rob Watson this past week, Lance Preston, Founder and Executive Director of the Rainbow Youth Project USA, noted that the toxic legislative atmosphere had tripled calls for assistance to the RYP’s crisis counselors, as nearly 18 states have banned trans youth gender-affirming therapy for minors, and have also passed laws the forbid discussion of LGBTQ+ issues, history, and people in classrooms.
Preston also pointed out that more than a half dozen states enacting measures, like New Hampshire’s proposed disclosure of a youth’s gender to parents, in cases of non-affirming households specifically places those youth at risk for suicide or leaving, oft times ending up living homeless on the streets.
At the beginning of this month, the nationās leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ youth, The Trevor Project, released the results of its latest survey of queer young people ages 13 to 24.
The survey of 28K youth nationwide, conducted last fall, underscores the negative mental health impact of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and policies. Among the key findings:
- 41% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year ā and those who are transgender, nonbinary, and/or people of color reported higher rates than their peers.
- 56% who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.
- LGBTQ+ young people who had access to affirming homes, schools, community events, and online spaces reported lower rates of attempting suicide compared to those who did not.
- Transgender and nonbinary young people reported lower rates of attempting suicide when all of the people they live with respected their pronouns and/or they had access to a gender-neutral bathroom at school.
- LGBTQ+ young people who experienced victimization because of their orientation or identity ā including being physically threatened or harmed, discriminated against, or subjected to conversion therapy ā reported more than twice the rate of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not have any of these anti-LGBTQ+ experiences.
- Nearly 2 in 3 LGBTQ+ young people said that hearing about potential state or local laws banning people from discussing LGBTQ+ people at school ā also known as āDonāt Say Trans or Gayā laws ā negatively impacted their mental health.
Link to the GoFundMe campaign to assist the family is here: (Nova Dunn)
New Hampshire
Anti-LGBTQ student group threatening legal actionĀ at UNH Law
A spokesperson for UNH denied any allegations of discrimination, and said that the application is being reviewed
CONCORD – A Christian student group opposed to same-sex marriage, abortion and the rights of transgender people is threatening legal action after the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of LawĀ student governing body failed to act on its petition to form its inaugural chapter at the university.
New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) correspondent Todd Bookman reported that theĀ Free Exercise Coalition is an organization with the stated mission to āequip religious students in their free exercise of religion,ā according to paperwork filed with the school.
Student board members of the group pledge to uphold āJudeo-Christianā religious traditions and beliefs, as well as oppose gay marriage, abortion and transgender people.
āToo often, students hide their religious beliefs in the closet,ā the group says on its website. āIt is becoming ever more counter-cultural to express them, and classrooms and cohorts have become less and less tolerant of such beliefs.ā
The group alleges that after submitting an application in November, the UNH Law Student Bar Association “unnecessarily delayed its formal recognition and that a proposed faculty advisor for the group withdrew his support after facing pressure.”
NHPR also reported that the First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit Christian conservative legal organization based in Plano, Texas that advocates for religious freedom is representing the anti-LGBTQ Free Exercise CoalitionĀ , sent a letter to the university threatening legal action if the Student Bar Association didnāt act swiftly and approve the pending recognition.
āRarely, if ever, has a student organization been more aptly named or, as the actions of your students and faculty make clear, needed at UNH Law,ā Jeremy Dys, an attorney for First Liberty, wrote in a letter to the school.
A spokesperson for UNH denied any allegations of discrimination, and said that the application is being reviewed āunder the same protocol and standard as applied to other student groups.ā The university noted that students recently completed final exams, and are now on semester break.
The anti-LGBTQ group is the second Christian group to make an application. According to NHPR, the UNH Law Student Bar Association a granted recognition to the Christian Legal Society after receiving advice from the university systemās legal counsel.
That group also has a doctrine of opposing same-sex marriage and also is conflicting with the law schoolās stated positions on diversity, equity and inclusion.
āYou essentially have to sign a statement of faith that promotes homophobia and transphobiaā to be a board member of the coalition, said Taylor Largmann, president of the campusās chapter of the Lambda student group, which advocates for LGBTQ students. āThat does not reflect UNH Lawās values. At least, I would hope not.ā
UNH Law currently recognizesĀ more than two dozenĀ student groups, including the Womenās Law Student Association; groups for Black, Hispanic and Asian students; and groups that organize recreational outings. A photography club recently applied for membership.
Ā
New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s Republican Governor to veto āDonāt Say Gayā bill
“This bill is antithetical to all the work we have done to ensure individuals in the LGBT community can live a life free from discrimination”
CONCORD – New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu announced Thursday that he will veto HB 1431, titled as the āParental Bill of Rights,ā legislation that would force school officials and faculty to take on the role of outing students to their families.
“This bill as written creates numerous challenges for kids,” the governor said. “I share the concerns of the attorney general and, as such, will veto the bill if it reaches my desk.”
The bill had undergone several changes with a final amended version working through both chambers pushed by Republican leadership.
The New Hampshire Bulletin reported Thursday that the bill has been opposed by the New Hampshire Attorney Generalās Office, LGBTQ+ rights groups, civil rights advocates, and teachers unions, who noted that the legislation would require schools to āoutā trans students to their parents. They argued that doing so could be dangerous for some students and might discourage others from seeking help at school.
Sununu says he will veto bill critics say would force schools to out LGBT children https://t.co/iRGeXvFNTr
— WMUR TV (@WMUR9) May 19, 2022
In interviews with Manchester’s ABC News affiliate WMUR-TVĀ 9, supporters claimed it would allow parents to be more involved with their children’s school lives.
“They don’t know my child like I do,” said state Sen. Bill Gannon, R-Sandown. “I’m the one responsible for them. The child doesn’t have capacity on his own to give up whether or not he’s going to get certain medical treatment. I want to know what’s going on in my kid’s life.”
“So, there are a lot of cases where things are going on in a school system, and the parents are never informed, and this will allow for notification to the parents, and there’s a long list of things that would be notified ā everything from bullying to failing grades,” said JR Hoell, treasurer of Rebuild NH, a group that organized around opposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and ally lawmakers decry the measure WMUR reported:
Opponents are blasting the bill, saying it would mean that if a student joins a specific club or confides in an adviser or teacher, schools would then inform parents, essentially outing gay, lesbian and transgender students.
“This bill is antithetical to all the work we have done in the state to ensure that individuals in the LGBT community can live a life free from discrimination,” said state Sen. Becky Whitley, D-Hopkinton.
“It’s totally inappropriate for school officials to take on the role of outing students to their families, and coming out should always be an intimate moment within a family, not a clumsy event,” said Chris Erchull, of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders.
Last December a diverse group of educators, advocacy groups, and law firms filed a federal lawsuit challenging a New Hampshire classroom censorship law, contained within state budget bill HB2, which discourages public school teachers from teaching and talking about race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and gender identity in the classroom.
āThis unconstitutionally vague law disallows students from receiving the inclusive, complete education they deserve, and from having important conversations on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity in the classroom,āĀ saidĀ Gilles Bissonnette, Legal Director of the ACLU of New Hampshire at the time of the lawsuit.Ā āIt is an attack on educators who are simply doing their job. Just four months into the school year, teachers are reporting being afraid to teach under this law for fear of being taken to court.Ā This law, through vagueness and fear, erases the legacy of discrimination and lived experiences of Black and Brown people, women and girls, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities.ā
New Hampshire
New Hampshire state Rep. may have defamed drag queens during hearing
Derry Town Councilor, Joshua Bourdon, said he, his wife and children attended calling it a positive experience with no inappropriate behavior
DERRY, Nh. ā A New Hampshire state Representative may have made false and defamatory claims about two drag queens when speaking at a committee hearing in support of his bill requiring public libraries to vet employees and volunteers with background checks to protect children.
During Feb. 10 House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee hearing for the legislation, H.B. 1529-FN, Rep. David Love (R-Derry) said he ādecided to go forward with this bill as a result of a ādrag queen story hour,ā they called it.ā
Love alleged that Michael McMahon, who goes by Clara Divine in drag, performed inappropriately in front of children at the Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Hampshire, last June. The event was initially supposed to occur at a public library, then a park, but āoutrageā caused moved the event to the private venue.
āThis individual was dancing with kids, rubbing butts, just really going way too far, and there was never a background check done on him,ā said Love, who did not attend the event.
However, McMahon told the Manchester Ink Link, none of that happened.
āI had over 500 people in attendance and they can all vouch that none of those things happened,ā McMahon said. āLiterally, heās making up something. It doesnāt make any sense.ā
Republican Derry Town Councilor Jim Morgan, a gay man, wrote a letter to the committee, refuting Loveās claims.
āI find it distasteful that an elected member of the House would blatantly lie to the committee to provide a sense of reason to pass such a flawed bill,ā Morgan wrote, according to the publication.
Another Derry Town Councilor, Joshua Bourdon, said he and his wife and children attended the show, calling it a positive experience with no inappropriate behavior.
āI was disappointed to hear that Rep. Love lied to his peers,ā Bourdon said, according to the Ink Link. āNothing like that was there.ā
The owner of Tupelo Music Hall also spoke to the online news site, denying that McMahon performed inappropriately and suggesting that āmaybe David should go to some of these shows, and learn something about love and inclusion.ā
During the hearing, Love also said he heard of a similar drag story hour at a public library in Nashua, New Hampshire, at a public library. He said it was later alleged that the drag queen at the show, Monique Toosoon, āāāwas a convicted sex offender.ā
But Robert Champion, who performs as Monique Toosoon, completely denies the claims.
āIāve been in the public eye for probably 20 years for being a drag queen, and I have never ever been accused of being a sex offender,ā Champion told the publication, adding that he wouldnāt have been able to complete an adoption in 2019 if he was a registered sex offender.
Both Champion and McMahon are seeking legal counsel about the potentially defamatory claims, according to the publication.
Love told the Ink Link that constituents told him about McMahon ārubbing buttsā with children and said he remembers reading about Champion in a newspaper.
āI donāt know if it was a Boston Herald or the Union Leader or what,ā Love said. āIāve done more research on that and havenāt found it.ā
But he still doesnāt think drag is appropriate for children.
āAll things aside, itās adult entertainment. ā¦ I donāt know why weāre going to this extreme, societally-wise. But to me itās not right,ā Love said. āIf you want to do it as adult entertainment, have at it. But for kids, leave it alone.ā
New Hampshire
Bill to stop ‘gay panic defense’ clears New Hampshire House
New Hampshire could soon join over a dozen other states which ban the use of ‘gay panic’ as a defense
CONCORD – Legislation prohibiting defendants accused of manslaughter from using the victimās gender, gender identity or sexual orientation as a defense, which had died in committee during the 2021 regular session of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, was reintroduced this session and passed with a 223-118 vote last week.
House Bill 238, stirred up controversary from opponents who claimed that state statues already covered murder and manslaughter. During a Criminal Justice committee hearing last Spring, Rep. Dick Marston, a Manchester Republican, voiced opposition, saying that the laws already cover murder and manslaughter and that āthereās no way in heck that youāre going to be able to say āWell because he or she was some deviant sexuality that Iām notāāā
Marston was cut off by committee chairman Daryl Abbas, a Salem Republican, who gaveled him down and rebuked him for the derogatory language the Concord-Monitor reported.
Later, the committee Republicans blocked an effort to move the bill out of committee alleging it needed more work and was not necessary because a jury could already strike down a similar attempted defense. The bill was then stalled in the committee, effectively killing it from being pushed further in last year’s session.
As the measure now heads to the state Senate, New Hampshire could soon join over a dozen other states which ban the use of the ‘gay panic’ as a defense.
New Hampshire
Right-wing group offers ‘bounty’ on public school teachers in Granite State
āLive free or dieā has given way to āshut up or else.ā New Hampshire lets public turn in teachers for violation of its new anti-divisive law
CONCORD – The Florida-based Moms for Liberty, a nonprofit claiming to advocate for āparental rights,ā which has been working to advance a far-right agenda of banning the instruction of ‘Critical Race Theory’ and gender studies- which includes transgender people, is offering a cash bounty to parents or others who turn in public school teachers for violation of New Hampshire’s new anti-divisive subject matter law.
Peter Greene, a retired high school English teacher and senior contributor to Forbes magazine writes; āLive free or dieā has given way to āshut up or else.ā New Hampshire has set up a system for letting the public turn in public school teachers for violation of its new anti-divisive subject matter law, and Moms for Liberty have offered a cash reward to parents who use it.”
The Republican controlled legislature had inserted language into the state’s annual budget legislation earlier this year that forbids the teaching of ādivisive conceptsā related to race and gender. Critics of the bill charge that the language used in the measure is vague, with some questioning its constitutionality.
The Washington Post reported that after the Republican Governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu, signed the measure nearly three-quarters of his diversity council quit.
We’ve got $500 for the person that first successfully catches a public school teacher breaking this law.
ā Moms for Liberty NH (@Moms4LibertyNH) November 12, 2021
Students, parents, teachers, school staff… We want to know! We will pledge anonymity if you want. https://t.co/hA7fqvj62u
Forbes reports that teachers who violate the law can be brought before state authorities and lose their license if it is found they have ādiscriminated against an individual or identified group.ā
Additionally the state has now set up a website to let parents and students to turn in teachers that they believe have violated the law. Students and parents may fill out this form, a questionnaire that can be submitted to the state. Thereās a space to describe āwhat action was taken against you that you believe to be discriminatoryā which can include any differentiation in privileges, discipline, harassment, or retaliation. It asks the parent if they have filed a complaint with the court of the Department of Education, and gives the option of giving race and national origin of the complainant Forbes notes.
“Live free or die” has given way to “Shut up or else.” New Hampshire And Moms For Liberty Put Bounty On Teachersā Heads via @palan57 https://t.co/Xb5W6ZJ0bJ
ā Peter Greene (@palan57) November 13, 2021
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