New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte has once again rejected legislation that would have allowed transgender people to be excluded from bathrooms, locker rooms, and other public spaces based on their sex assigned at birth, marking the third time she has vetoed similar legislation in the past year.
The bill, passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, sought to create exemptions to New Hampshire’s anti-discrimination law, which has protected residents from discrimination based on gender identity since 2018. If signed into law, the measure would have allowed public and private entities to separate bathrooms, locker rooms, and certain other facilities according to sex assigned at birth rather than gender identity. It also included provisions affecting school athletics and detention facilities.
In her veto message issued Friday, Ayotte expressed frustration that lawmakers had once again sent her legislation nearly identical to bills she had already rejected.
“I have continued to ask the Legislature to address this issue in a thoughtful, narrow way while protecting the privacy, safety, and rights of all Granite Staters,” Ayotte said. “Trying the same thing again isn’t going to get a different result.”
The governor noted that the latest proposal differed little from legislation she vetoed earlier this year and from similar measures rejected by former Republican Governor Chris Sununu in 2024.
Supporters of the bill argued that the measure was necessary to protect the privacy and safety of women and girls in sex-segregated spaces. Opponents countered that the legislation would have effectively legalized discrimination against transgender people and rolled back hard-won civil rights protections.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups welcomed the veto, arguing that transgender residents deserve equal access to public accommodations without fear of exclusion or harassment. Similar organizations had urged Ayotte to reject the bill, warning that it would undermine New Hampshire’s existing anti-discrimination protections.
The legislature technically has the authority to override the governor’s veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers. However, political observers say that outcome appears unlikely given the relatively narrow margins by which the bill passed the House.
The veto comes amid a broader national push by conservative lawmakers to restrict transgender access to public accommodations. Yet New Hampshire’s repeated rejection of bathroom-ban legislation stands out as an exception in a political climate where similar measures have become law in many states.
While Ayotte’s decision preserves existing protections for transgender Granite Staters, the issue is unlikely to disappear. Republican lawmakers have repeatedly signaled they intend to continue pursuing bathroom restrictions despite multiple gubernatorial vetoes, setting the stage for another round of debate in future legislative sessions.
