October 24, 2018

CONTACT: Jeanne Hruska, Policy Director, [email protected]; 307-272-8727

Palana Belken, Trangender Education and Advocacy Program Fellow, [email protected]; 508-815-7076

Concord, NH - Multiple media sources are reporting that the Trump administration is working to dramatically rollback critical protections for transgender people by narrowing the definitions of sex and gender. These measures come at a time when the public and courts increasingly agree that transgender people should be protected from discrimination.

The ACLU of New Hampshire issued this statement:

Palana Belken, ACLU-NH Transgender Education and Advocacy Organizer, had this reaction: “Transgender people are real people with valid experiences, deserving of having their lived identities recognized. Attempts to disenfranchise transgender people from public life serve no purpose but to shame and hurt a vulnerable population and their families. The ACLU-NH is dedicated to doing everything we can to ensure that every person is granted equal protection under the law, and is treated with dignity.”

Devon Chaffee, ACLU-NH Executive Director, had this reaction: “The Trump administration’s recent attack on transgender people is hateful, and it will not go unchallenged. Just months ago, New Hampshire sent a strong message of acceptance to its transgender community by enacting non-discrimination legislation. More and more courts are seeing that policies targeting transgender people have no place in our country. The ACLU of New Hampshire will fight alongside LGBTQ community members to stop any effort to erase the identities of transgender and nonbinary people.”