Angry House Democrats unleashed public attacks on a member of their own caucus Thursday over his support for legislation protecting women-only spaces like locker rooms and bathrooms. One Democrat even invoked ‘Jim Crow’ in his remarks targeting progressive Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D-Peterborough), who is Black.
The bill (HB 148) that would allow the separation of locker rooms, changing rooms, and bathrooms for males and females that align with their sex — revived this session by Republicans after Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed similar legislation last summer — advanced 201-166. Two Democrats, Wheeler and Rep. Peter Leishman, both of Peterborough, joined the GOP in support.
Immediately after the final tally was announced, several cries of “Shame on you!” and “Shame!” could be heard throughout the chamber. The bill now heads to the Senate where it is expected to pass.
Wheeler, who earlier in the day broke with his party and to support the parental bill of rights legislation, attempted to explain his stance on the legislation to the members of his caucus.
“These conversations can be nuanced,” Wheeler said. “Putting in place policies that say women who were born women deserve a space to themselves is not transphobic.”
Democrats responded by filing out of the chamber in protest.
“My colleagues are walking out as I give this speech,” he observed. “I think that illustrates exactly why I got up here today.
“I could have quietly voted my conscience and followed the party line, but again, the consent of one person cannot stand for the consent of another.”
Wheeler noted that a fellow Democrat in his hometown, a woman, recently told him she left the party over the issue.
He also said several fellow Democrats called him “a Nazi for having given this speech.”
Added Wheeler, “The orthodoxy of the Democratic Party on this issue has left us to where we cannot have nuanced discussions, and women are being silenced in this conversation. As much as people don’t want to hear that, that is what is happening.
“When I talked to people on this side of the issue, and on that side of the issue, I heard, ‘I don’t want any violence to happen against me; I don’t want to be disrespected or unheard.’”
“I don’t think that your position or side benefits from calling the other a Nazi when they are trying to ask genuine questions about women’s spaces and the protection of women inside those spaces.”
In response, Rep. Heath Howard (D-Strafford) posed a question comparing keeping women’s spaces female only to the “Whites Only” restrooms of the Jim Crow era.
“With White-passing African Americans being free from discrimination during Jim Crow-era laws, do you think that it is fair that we can compare this situation directly to the bathroom bans that African Americans were given, and told that they were dangerous to White people?”
Given that Wheeler is one of the few Black representatives in the 400-member House, tension in the room immediately rose. Wheeler, however, remained calm.
“Representative, race and what happened in the Jim Crow era is, yes, significantly different than sex and talking about women in their private spaces.”
After the vote, Rep. Alissandra Murray, who identifies as a “queer, non-binary, first-generation Nicaraguan-American,” took to Twitter/X to public attack Wheeler, accusing him of lying about his true position on the issue.
“I have never been more disappointed in a friend and colleague than I am by @jonahowheeler. It’s really sad what people will do to gain political power.”
“He’s doing this for press coverage and to improve his relationship with your caucus, and it’s working,” Murray added in later posts… “I was close friends with Jonah in our first session and I know this isn’t in line with his actual values.”
Contacted by NHJournal for evidence that Wheeler, an outspoken progressive, is lying about his values, Murray declined to respond.
Ironically, the bipartisan Ethics Committee ruled that Murray’s votes on some abortion bills ran afoul of House conflict of interest rules and ordered the Manchester Democrat to recuse in the future. The issue was raised when NHJournal reported Murray was being paid to serve in the House by a pro-abortion nonprofit to advocate for the organization (which receives taxpayer-funded grants) and its cause.
Wheeler has faced harsh, though less public, attacks from his fellow Democrats in the past. Last year, he voted in favor of a ban on sex-change surgeries for minor children. He was beset by outraged Democrats in the House anteroom. Their attacks were so loud and intense that several Republicans went to the room out of concern for Wheeler.
The next day, the House Democratic caucus held a meeting in hopes of cooling passions and building unity. Instead, members of the House Sergeants-at-Arms overheard comments that concerned them so much they reached out to the State House Security Unit of the State Police.
After Thursday’s Democratic attacks on Wheeler, House Republicans again rallied on his behalf.
“Democrats need to take a long, hard look in the mirror before they accuse anyone of lacking integrity,” said Rep. Joe Sweeney (R-Salem). “Democrats’ callousness in comparing the plight of African Americans fighting for their rights to the Democrat fight to putting men in girl’s locker rooms is abhorrent.”
And House Majority Leader Jason Osborne offered Wheeler perhaps the highest praise.
“I hope other Democrats don’t start listening to Rep. Wheeler. It would make it harder for us to beat them if they ever decided to adopt the common sense positions of normal, everyday people.”
