A New Hampshire court has ruled that a Concord man violated the state’s Civil Rights Act after assaulting a transgender woman at her workplace, marking a significant legal recognition that the attack was motivated by bias against her gender identity.
Merrimack County Superior Court found that 25-year-old Travis Lufkin violated the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act following a May 19, 2024, incident in which he struck a transgender woman in the face after being asked to leave the business where she worked. According to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, Lufkin also directed a homophobic slur at the victim during the assault. The court concluded that the attack was motivated by animus toward the victim’s gender identity, triggering the state’s civil rights protections.
As part of the court’s order, Lufkin must have no contact with the victim or her family and remain at least 350 feet away from her, her home, and her workplace for the next three years. The court also imposed a $5,000 civil fine, though $4,000 of that amount has been suspended provided he complies with the court’s orders during that period. Violating the injunction could result in additional civil or criminal penalties.
The civil ruling follows a separate criminal case. Lufkin previously pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and simple assault. He received a 12-month sentence for the felony assault charge, with six months suspended for three years, along with an additional 12-month suspended sentence for the misdemeanor assault conviction.
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said the decision reinforces that bias-motivated violence will be prosecuted under state law.
“The New Hampshire Civil Rights Act protects every person from violence and intimidation motivated by bias,” Formella said in a statement. “The New Hampshire Department of Justice will continue to enforce the laws of this state fairly and consistently, hold offenders accountable, and protect the rights and safety of all Granite Staters.”
The case stands out because civil rights prosecutions tied to anti-transgender violence remain relatively uncommon, even as advocacy organizations continue to report increasing harassment and assaults targeting transgender people across the United States. New Hampshire’s Civil Rights Act allows the state to seek civil remedies when violence, threats, or intimidation are motivated by a person’s protected characteristics, including gender identity.
For transgender advocates, the ruling sends a clear message that attacks motivated by anti-transgender bias are not simply acts of violence but violations of civil rights. While the criminal case addressed Lufkin’s assault, the civil judgment recognizes the broader harm caused when someone is targeted because of who they are.
As debates over transgender rights continue nationwide, the New Hampshire decision demonstrates that existing civil rights laws can provide an additional layer of accountability when courts determine that violence is driven by prejudice rather than random criminal conduct.
