Time to Lead with Courage, Not Contradiction
She celebrates the Supreme Court’s defense of biological sex in sports but refuses to protect privacy and safety in locker rooms and bathrooms. Blanket vetoes without collaboration are insulting — New Hampshire deserves better.
I am deeply disappointed in Governor Kelly Ayotte for her continued failure to support the women and girls of New Hampshire in our most private and vulnerable spaces. By vetoing legislation like HB 1442 (and SB 552 before it), she has sided against the fairness, dignity, safety, and privacy that biological females deserve in locker rooms, bathrooms, and prisons.
New Hampshire ignored the warning signs for far too long, and women are paying the price. The case of former Democratic State Rep. Stacie Laughton — a man with a documented criminal history including felony fraud, a bomb-threat-related misdemeanor, stalking, and a later 33-year federal sentence for child exploitation — stands as a stark example. Women like Rep. Katherine Prudhomme O’Brien raised concerns after seeing Laughton in the women’s bathrooms at the State House, but felt powerless because the law offered no clear protection. Ideology overrode basic vetting and common sense, leaving women and girls exposed.
Real incidents continue to mount. At Planet Fitness in Concord, Judy Walcott encountered a biological male in the women’s locker room near the shower area, reported her discomfort, and had her membership canceled after staff labeled her concerns “transphobic.” These are not abstract policy debates — they are lived experiences of New Hampshire women being displaced, demeaned, and disbelieved in spaces meant to be safe.
Just two weeks ago, on June 30, Governor Ayotte praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling affirming biological sex distinctions in sports. In her official statement, she said:
“It is unfair for biological males to compete in women’s sports, and as the mom of a daughter who competed in varsity sports in high school, I am pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision today that protects women’s sports and paves the way to enforce our law in New Hampshire prohibiting men from competing in women’s sports.”
Yet while she publicly celebrates the Court’s recognition of biological reality in athletics, she refuses to extend that same protection to locker rooms, bathrooms, and other private spaces. Governor Ayotte approves of biological sex in sports but will not allow women and girls their own spaces free from men. This contradiction is indefensible.
In her veto message for SB 552 (and consistent with her approach to similar bills like HB 1442), Governor Ayotte stated: “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. Unfortunately, there is minimal difference between this bill, the bill I vetoed earlier this year, the one I vetoed last year, and the one vetoed in 2024 by Governor Sununu. Trying the same thing again isn’t going to get a different result.”
If Governor Ayotte truly believes there have been no meaningful changes in the bills presented to her, why has she not communicated those specific concerns directly to the sponsors and State Representatives? Why has she not engaged with them to suggest targeted revisions that would address her objections while still protecting women and girls? A blanket veto message that dismisses repeated legislative efforts as “trying the same thing again” is neither helpful nor clear — it comes across as insulting to the many lawmakers and citizens who have worked in good faith to craft narrow, common-sense legislation in response to real harms.
HB 1442 and SB 552 are among the narrowest, most reasonable protections possible. They simply reaffirm a common-sense principle: women and girls should not be forced to give up their privacy to men in female spaces. The bills clarify that it is not discrimination to separate the sexes in sports, locker rooms, correctional settings, and similar circumstances. They provide clear, enforceable protections for single-sex facilities while respecting the rights of all New Hampshire residents. The Supreme Court has now clearly affirmed that such separations are lawful. The legal excuses of the past no longer hold.
As the Independent Women’s Network Southern New Hampshire Chapter Leader, I echo the resolve of Independent Women’s Voice: “A veto may delay progress, but it won’t change our resolve. New Hampshire women and girls deserve privacy, safety, and equal opportunity, and we’ll keep fighting until those protections become law.”
Governor Ayotte is up for reelection this year. Let me be perfectly clear: I will not vote for her. As an Independent voter who walked away from the Democratic Party, her refusal to protect women and girls may cost her support from other Independent voters like me. I cannot support a leader who refuses to protect half the population in bathrooms, locker rooms, and prisons.
Women and girls have the fundamental right to private spaces free from the opposite sex, and Governor Ayotte’s vetoes betray that principle. As a former competitive gymnast, girls’ gymnastics coach, and survivor of male violence, I have seen firsthand what happens when those protections fail.
I urge every Granite Stater who cares about the safety and dignity of our daughters, sisters, and mothers to contact Governor Ayotte’s office immediately and tell her this is unacceptable. She must reconsider and sign HB 1442.
Contact Governor Ayotte:
📞 (603) 271-2121
✉️ GovernorAyotte@governor.nh.gov
The women and girls of New Hampshire deserve better. It is time for Governor Ayotte to lead with consistency and courage. Independent Women’s Network and advocates across the state will continue this fight next session and beyond. New Hampshire ignored the warning signs — we cannot afford to ignore them any longer.
By Bronwyn Sims
New Hampshire State Chapter Leader, Independent Women’s Network
NH #WalkAway State Leader
