New Hampshire Democrats defended their unpopular position on sex-change treatment for minors until the bitter budget end.
During Thursday’s final budget battle, Democrats in both the state House and Senate voiced their opposition to HB 377, banning healthcare professionals from administering hormone treatments and puberty blockers to minors, and HB 712, banning sex-change “top” surgery, which includes elective mastectomies for minor children.
“I believe that we are undermining two fundamental and foundational principles here,” Sen. Sue Prentiss (D-Lebanon). “One is parental-minor consent when it comes to medical treatment, and the second is legislation prescribing medical treatment from the floor of the Senate or any legislative body when we ourselves are not medical practitioners.”
Sen. Debra Altschiller (D-Stratham) claimed the bans “could place already at-risk youth in greater danger.”
“This is not medicine,” Altschiller added. “This is political interference.”
But the legislation easily passed both the House and Senate on Thursday as supporters decried what they see as abuse of vulnerable children.
“Medical professionals have preyed on some of our most vulnerable children and families,” said Sen. Victoria Sullivan. “That is why this bill is necessary.”
Polls show most Americans — and Granite Staters — agree with the GOP. A University of New Hampshire poll found that Granite Staters support bans on sex-change treatments for minors 51 to 38 percent. A New York Times/Ipsos poll from January found 71 percent of Americans believe “no one under 18 should have access to puberty-blocking drugs or hormone therapy.”
Political professionals in both parties believe the Democrats’ extreme stance on gender issues contributed to their losses last November, including the loss of two state Senate seats and two dozen House seats in New Hampshire.
And yet, Granite State Democrats haven’t budged.
One notable exception is progressive Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D-Peterborough), who took to the House floor Thursday to urge his fellow Democrats to reconsider.
“Nobody is born in the wrong body,” Wheeler said.
He also accused supporters of ignoring the growing body of scientific research that shows the procedures are ineffective and dangerous. He referenced the scandal engulfing the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), an organization often referenced by New Hampshire advocates for gender reassignment procedures.
In one leaked video of a 2022 WPATH panel discussion, a Canadian endocrinologist observed that sex change doctors are “often explaining these sorts of things to people who haven’t even had biology in high school yet.”
“We found out that WPATH knowingly was saying things that were untrue about these procedures, and we only found out about that after discovery,” Wheeler said, referencing an Alabama lawsuit involving WPATH. “These procedures are not as medically-affirming as people have made them out to be.”
Wheeler’s stance has made him a lightning rod within his own party. When the same topic was debated in 2024, Wheeler’s position left him ostracized by his own caucus. Earlier this year, a white House Democrat compared Wheeler’s support for bans on biological males using women’s bathrooms and changing rooms to Jim Crow-era segregation laws.
Wheeler is Black.
Alice Wade (D-Dover), a biological male who identifies as female and began hormone therapy in 2018, spoke out against the bills.
“What part of this bill supports allowing parents to make the best healthcare decisions for their children?” Wade asked. “And here we are, taking away lifesaving healthcare options for all parents.”
In the end, the GOP bill passed in a 202-161 vote.
Earlier this month, after a majority of conferees signed off on the bills, the New Hampshire Democratic Party issued a request urging constituents to call lawmakers and urge them to vote down the twin measures.
On Thursday, those efforts proved to be for naught.
Rep. Lisa Mazur (R-Goffstown), the lead sponsor of both bills, told NHJournal following the vote that the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision cleared the way for New Hampshire.
“This bill, which aligns with the court’s ruling, protects minors from irreversible medical interventions and now awaits the governor’s signature,” Mazur said. “It is time to act to protect New Hampshire’s children, and our state is acting now.”
