Celebrating Pride Month
June is Pride Month. It’s a time to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as well as to acknowledge the 50 year struggle to overcome the worst kind of abusive discrimination and win equality.
On Saturday, Portsmouth will celebrate with a noontime rainbow march from Market Square to Strawbery Banke, where Seacoast Outright will be sponsoring a full day of entertainment and activities. (Check out the complete schedule here).
While Pride Month is a cause for celebration, it is also a cause for reflection. The good news is that marriage equality is now the law of the land in all 50 states. Most states, including New Hampshire, have also extended full non-discrimination protections to LGBTQ citizens. But bullying of LGBTQ children in schools remains far too common, some restaurants and businesses refuse to serve transgender people, and in some states same-sex couples often have trouble adopting children, are at risk of being evicted from their homes, and have even been banned from living in certain retirement homes. Progress is accelerating, yet change in many areas remains excruciatingly slow.
On June 13th Rep. Ed Butler, who leads the LGBTQ Caucus in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, delivered a short speech after a long session day that acknowledged while many important victories have been won, the struggle for legal equality and full acceptance of LGBTQ people continues.
“This year,” Butler said, “we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots , those clashes with the forces that had been harassing gay community members for just being who they were – different from the majority of heterosexual citizens but no longer willing to be told that we were not equal to that majority. And as a gay man, and a member of the NH House LGBTQ Caucus, I am proud to talk to you about why Pride Month is important and to acknowledge some of the heroes, heroines and non-binary greats that have made this day possible....I’m sure I won’t remember everyone but to name a few: Jim Splaine, Mo Baxley, Ray Buckley, Dana Hilliard, Ruth Smith & Beth McGuinn, Brian Rater & Brendan Denehy, Steve Vaillancourt, David Pierce, Tara Mahady, Gerri Cannon, Chris Pappas, my colleagues in the LGBTQ Caucus – and so many allies who worked hard to help us fight back bigotry and secure equality.”
It was a moment that reminded legislators of the good work we can achieve when we work together to overcome prejudice and to advance the cause of basic human rights. Unfortunately, over 30 GOP state representatives chose that moment to turn their backs on Rep. Butler and walk out. This was an inappropriate and inexcusable display of disrespect for a fellow legislator and a slap in the face to our LGBTQ citizens.
Despite this sad display, the good news is that much has been accomplished in the past year.
2018 saw the election of LGBTQ candidates across the country, including New Hampshire’s first openly gay Congressman, Rep. Chris Pappas. It also saw the addition of "gender identity" to the state's anti-discrimination law, joining race, sex, age, marital status, religion, and sexual orientation. Meanwhile, we also celebrated the election of Gerri Cannon and Lisa Bunker—the first openly transsexual state representatives ever elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
2019 has also been a very good year for LGBTQ-friendly legislation in New Hampshire. Among the bills passed in both the House and the Senate and now awaiting the governor’s signature are:
HB383 which prevents unlawful discrimination or prohibitions in New Hampshire schools against any person on the basis of sex, gender identity, race, religious creed, color, marital status, physical or mental disability, or national origin.
HB466 which allows a new birth record to be prepared for a transsexual individual who wishes their birth record to reflect their present gender designation rather than their original designation at birth.
HB608 which prohibits excluding people from public accommodations based on their gender identity.
HB669 which creates a gender category of “Other” on drivers' licenses and nondrivers' identification cards.
SB263 which creates a right of action for any student injured by discriminatory practices in a New Hampshire school and requires school administrators to develop a policy to respond to and intervene in incidents of discrimination.
So this Saturday, come to Strawbery Banke, bring your family and friends, and celebrate 50 years of pride and progress with some of New Hampshire’s strongest, proudest, and most resilient people.