Jessica Adams lives in Nashua.

On July 19, Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law House Bill 1205 which will require all sports teams for grades 5-12 to be designated for “males, men, or boys,” “females, women, or girls,” or “co-ed or mixed.” He also signed into law House Bill 619 which bars any doctors from performing any “genital reassignment surgery” on children under the age of 18. These two bills restrict the rights of transgender children in the Granite State.

The first bill requires that sports teams follow the sex on birth certificates to place children on a sports team. This bluntly restricts the rights and freedoms of transgender children to play on the sports team of the gender they identify with. For example, if a transgender girl wants to play on the girls’ basketball team in high school she wouldn’t be allowed to. She would be forced to play on the boy’s team because the sex listed on her birth certificate says she was born a male.

This not only creates an unsafe environment for the girl, requiring her to change in the boy’s locker room and be exposed to potential bullying or harassment but it creates an unhealthy environment for that girl’s mental health. Being denied the right to play for the girl’s team allows the doubt for herself and others that she isn’t a girl — which is false because she is a girl.

The second bill denies trans children access to key medical treatment and options for themselves. It stops doctors from performing “genital reassignment surgery” on children under 18 and makes doctors subject to disciplinary action. This stops transgender children and their families from discussing and undergoing key medical treatment. Treatment that can help with one’s mental health and gender dysmorphia.

It is important to note that most transgender minors do not undergo “genital reassignment surgery.” A Komodo study from 2019 to 2021 found only 56 “genital reassignment surgery” from teens aged 13 to 17. On top of that, adults who undergo “genital reassignment surgery,” do not regret this.

In fact, a study from 2016 to 2021 conducted by the Transgender Health Program reported that out of 1,989 patients, only six patients (0.3%) requested a reversal. Limiting the right to key healthcare for minors will only cause harm to them and open the door for further restrictions on healthcare for trans youth

As stated above New Hampshire is going down a dark path when limiting the rights of transgender children. Gov. Sununu and the Republicans want us to believe they are doing this for the safety of children. But if they really cared for the safety of transgender children they would not be restricting what sports teams they can play on and their right to healthcare. I stand with the transgender community and the right for transgender children to be who they are.