Granite Staters say they’ll speak up and fight back against attacks on LGBTQ+ youth

As LGBTQ+ youth in New Hampshire find themselves under the microscope by state and federal officials, advocates and communities across the Granite Staters rise to fight back.

President Donald Trump and his administration have found several ways to remove support for LGBTQ+ youth across the US this month. 

On June 17, President Trump ordered the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline hotline to eliminate the specialty line for LGBTQ+ youth, including its multi-million dollar contract with The Trevor Project, the largest suicide prevention initiative in the US, within the next 30 days. 

The next day, the US Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s law prohibiting gender affirming care for minors in US v. Skrmetti, saying children who seek the mental and physical care don’t qualify as a protected class. 

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, Republican lawmakers are attempting to finalize several bills to restrict gender affirming surgeries for minors. House Bill 377 would prohibit the prescription of puberty blockers and hormone therapy to children under 18, while House Bill 712 would ban breast surgeries for those same children. 

And to add salt to the wound, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire (ACLU-NH) and LGBTQ+ legal rights group GLAAD are currently suing in federal court to attempt to block another New Hampshire law, House Bill 1205, which was signed by former Gov. Chris Sununu in 2024, that bars transgender girls in grades 5-12 from participating on girls’ sports teams. 

Whether or not these bills pass, young Granite Staters need to be supported. While they are not inherently prone to higher suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, LGBTQ+ youth are at a higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society. 

In New Hampshire, 55% of LGBTQ+ young people reported that recent politics negatively impacted their well-being, according to reports from The Trevor Project, and may explain why 64% of LGBTQ+ youth in the state also reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety.

The Trevor Project also revealed that at least 36% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered suicide in the past year, and at least 10% have attempted suicide in the past year. 

The road ahead

Local youth-led advocacy organizations, like the New Hampshire Youth Movement, are calling on Gov. Kelly Ayotte to veto state-level legislation and are encouraging Granite Staters of all ages to contact her and their other local representatives, adding that none of the bills uphold the state’s “Live Free or Die” motto. 

Several community leaders and state officials have also spoken out about their continued commitment to fiercely advocate for LGBTQ+ youth in New Hampshire. 

“Transgender young people and their families are not alone in the road ahead,” said Devon Chaffee, executive director of ACLU-NH, in a press release.

“We will continue to fight in courtrooms and communities across the country to ensure all people—including transgender people—have the dignity and equality they deserve and the freedom to shape their futures.”

⭐If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or chat live at 988lifeline.org. 

🌈If you are an LGBTQ+ young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or need a safe and judgment-free place to talk, The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.