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This week, New Hampshrie Republicans again demonstrated why Granite Staters will vote to flip the State House blue this November. From passing extreme, unpopular, and dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ legislation to one of the House Republican Caucus leaders resigning less than 24 hours after facing a major scandal, the NH GOP’s terrible week is one for the books – that is, until their next disastrous week.
While Republicans were busy pushing national culture wars and attacking Granite Staters’ personal freedoms, Democrats in both the State House and Senate reaffirmed their commitment to fighting for the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ individuals and advanced legislation that will address the issues voters care about. Democrats successfully passed legislation that will protect survivors of domestic violence, support public schools in the North Country, set comprehensive cancer screening for all current and retired firefighters, and raise maximum weekly benefits for unemployed Granite Staters.
State Senate Republicans Pass “Dangerous” Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation Despite Widespread, Bipartisan Opposition. This week, two self-described conservative fathers joined the dozens of “health care providers, civil rights organizations, and advocacy groups” who have spent weeks urging Republicans to stop attacking New Hampshire’s LGBTQ+ community with legislation that “endanger[s] the rights, lives, and health of LGBTQ+ individuals and families in the Granite State.”
One father who spoke against the trans youth sports ban said the bill will “threaten the safety, the privacy, the dignity of young transgender individuals like [his] daughter, Sarah,” and “undermine the progress that we’ve made for more inclusivity and a more equitable society.” Another father noted how NH Republicans “have gone away from that founding, 'Everybody has their own rights. Keep government out of my life,' and now, it's all about what we want, what we're going to tell you, what to think and do.”
Despite this widespread opposition from hundreds of Granite Staters, Senate Republicans ultimately voted to ban trans girls from playing the sports they love, ban hospitals from providing families with gender-affirming care, censor teachers for teaching topics of gender and sexuality, and forcibly out LGBTQ+ students.
Former State Representative Ross Berry Resigns from State House Following Scandal. House Speaker Sherman Packard removed State Representative Ross Berry from the Election Law Committee for “enacting a convoluted scheme to trick Democratic lawmakers into being absent from a committee meeting so that Republicans could win a vote on reconsidering a bill.” Less than 24 hours after the news broke about Berry’s removal from the Election Law Committee, he resigned from the State House, further slimming the NH GOP’s majority that has been plagued by scandals involving members like Jon Stone, Jeffrey Greeson, Troy Merner, Jess Edwards, and Laurie Sanborn.
State Representative and COVID-19 Conspiracy Theorist Ken Weyler Apologizes for Heckling Democratic Colleague. Ken Weyler is no stranger to controversies. His infamous track record includes distributing a disturbing document to finance committee members, which contained conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines containing tentacled creatures and a secret group of multi-colored popes controlling the Catholic Church. This week, Weyler was put on blast for heckling a Democratic House member and calling her “evil and stupid,” once again demonstrating how New Hampshire Republicans lack decorum and respect for their fellow members.
Read What Granite Staters Are Saying About The NH GOP:
Concord Monitor: Op-Ed: NH’s LGBTQ+ youth need support, not political attack
Manchester Ink Link: Op-Ed: You can’t divide us – transgender athletes have a right to play
Concord Monitor: Op-Ed: NH’s legislative landscape, and bills with the potential to harm