Sununu signs bill barring gender-affirming surgeries for youth into law

Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.) signed a bill into law on Friday that bans health professionals from performing gender-affirming surgeries for minors.

Sununu signed another bill that will ban transgender athletes from competing on school sports teams that align with their gender identity.

The third bill the governor signed allows parents to have their kids opt out of public school teaching that involves “sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or gender expression.”

He vetoed a fourth bill that allowed businesses to separate bathrooms and locker rooms based on biological sex.

The gender-affirming surgeries legislation was passed by the Republican-led New Hampshire state House in January. It initially sought to ban all gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and hormones, for minors but was later amended to include only genital surgeries.

The surgeries are already rare for minors to undergo, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society do not recommend it for people under 18.

In a release Friday, Sununu’s office said the bill focuses on “protecting the health and safety of New Hampshire’s children and has earned bipartisan support.”

“There is a reason that countries across the world – from Sweden to Norway, France, and the United Kingdom – have taken steps to pause these procedures and policies.”

Earlier this month, the Biden administration said it opposes gender-affirming surgery for transgender minors, deviating from past statements that broadly support care for LGTBQ youth.