New Hampshire House OKs Transgender Anti-Discrimination Bill

On the heels of the House passing marriage equality legislation (the Senate will take up the bill next) comes a bit of good news for our Ts: “By a single vote, the New Hampshire House today reversed itself and passed a bill that bars discrimination on the basis of gender identity. The proposal was dubbed the ‘bathroom bill’ by its opponents. The bill, House Bill 415, allows individuals to bring actions at the Human Rights Commission when they feel they have been discriminated against on the basis of their sexual identity, or the way they express it, such as with their clothing or makeup. Gov. John Lynch did not endorse the bill after its passage. His spokesman, Colin Manning, said, ‘We have a comprehensive anti-discrimination law here in New Hampshire. We are not convinced that the concerns raised by the supporters of this legislation aren’t already covered under existing law.’ … Early in the debate, Speaker of the House Terie Norelli, D-Portsmouth, took the unusual step of leaving her podium and speaking in favor of the bill. She said she was disappointed in debate two weeks ago, and by ‘the muddying of the waters’ on the issue.” [Union Leader]