HB1376

Please stop trying to make these laws. They are 1) a waste of our time and tax money and 2) EXTREMELY HARMFUL!!! Stop trying to make things harder for people who are already hurting! Please!

Having supportive adults is essential for children, and having their identity respected and celebrated is a massive life-saving measure against various mental health conditions and serious risks, including suicide, for young trans youth. Every child deserves that protection, regardless of their gender identity. This bill is putting children at risk for the comfort of their parents, and kids will suffer because of it. Please keep their freedoms and their right to express themselves protected, and oppose this bill.

Gender affirming care is vital to the well being of a transgender person, regardless of their age. I completely oppose this bill which only takes away a person’s right to healthcare!

Utilizing a transgender person's name that they were born with contributes to depression and suicidality. Around here we care about our kids mental health. A caregiver being in denial about a child announcing their transgender status and utilizing a different name, isn't going to make that child all of a sudden agree with their parent- but it will contribute to their mental health struggles. Research clearly shows that this bill would harm children.

This bill encourages sex-based discrimination against children.

We OPPOSE HB 1376. We disagree with the central presumption of this bill—that parental rights should supersede the safety and rights of children who are LGBTQ+. The state has a fundamental responsibility to ensure that all children are protected and safe from every form of abuse. This testimony is about protecting children and ensuring that New Hampshire’s child protective services are not constrained in their ability to respond to evidence that would otherwise be considered harmful, abusive, or negligent. We OOPPOSE HB 1376 because this legislation establishes a standard of care in which parental rights override the health and safety of children, many of whom face disproportionate risks of abuse, as well as mental and physical harm. The State, in its role as an advocate for children, must retain the authority to consider the full range of factors that affect a minor’s mental health, physical health, and overall safety. We urge you to vote ITL on this bill.

I oppose HB1376. Inhumane

I oppose this bill because it would remove protections from young people who are being prevented from accessing gender-affirming care or being raised in a gender-affirming way by one or more parent or guardian despite what we know to be true about the positive and life-saving benefits of being raised in an affirming environment.

This bill would be harmful for children.

The prevalence of this kind of legislation is a primary reason why it is unsafe for me and my family to move “home” to NH. We were “live free and die”, but more and more the freedom to be who we are and for our children to be who they are is being limited by this government. I moved away from NH for college and when I was able to move back East, I realized I could no longer trust NH and moving “home” was not an option.

I believe this bill as currently drafted will have significant negative consequences for the LGBTQ+ community. HB1375 restricts the ability of citizens to access essential services by creating unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles and prevents gender-affirming care and guidance. This imposes a government hand in private family matters that should not be considered.

Just another attempt to bully transgender children and the families who love them. Vote ITL on this dangerous and discriminatory bill.

"Biological" gender isn't always correct. Trust doctors, protect kids.

This bill is "relative to a parent's ability to raise their child in a manner consistent with the child's biological sex." It would remove protections from young people who are being prevented from accessing gender-affirming care or being raised in a gender-affirming way by one or more parent or guardian despite what we know to be true about the positive and life-saving benefits of being raised in an affirming environment. This is dangerous, cruel, and and an overreach of state power.

Please stop proposing bogus legislation that purports to protect parents and or children but are really about making life more difficult for people and children who are transgender.

As a parent of a transgender adult, I am writing in opposition to HB 1376. My child came out as transgender at the age of 15 and he is now 24 years old. There are numerous studies and statistics which show the emotional and psychological harm done to a transgender child who is not supported and accepted by parents and family. For example, here is a report from the American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/mental-health-anti-transgender-legislation. This report discusses the devastating effects of denying transgender children the autonomy to express themselves as they experience themselves in the world. When my child initially told my husband and I that he is transgender we sought advice and direction from my child's pediatrician, psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapist. After meeting with my child, husband, and I, all of these healthcare professionals advised the best way we could help our child was to support him and follow his lead. My husband and I did just that and have never regretted doing so. As mentioned above, my child came out as transgender at age 15 and is now almost 25 years old. He has been living as a transgender person for almost 10 years. He is transgender and always will be. To pass HB 1376 out of committee will be cruel and detrimental to transgender children who already face constant insurmountable scrutiny and misunderstanding from some members of the public and the government. Please do not pass this grievous bill out of committee.

This bull is dangerous for children. It goes against research showing gender affirming care and support saves lives and decreases the chances of suicide and self-harm.