HRC Blog

Today Allyson Robinson (pictured), our associate director of diversity, will testify before a committee of New Hampshire lawmakers on House Bill 415, legislation to add gender identity and gender expression protections to the state's non-discrimination statutes.  The legislation will also make additions to the state hate crimes law to ensure that perpetrators of hate crimes against transgender people are subject to the same extended sentencing terms as perpetrators of hate crimes based on other prohibited bases, such as race, sex and sexual orientation. Allyson's testimony before the state House Judiciary Committee will draw upon her experience not only as an LGBT advocate but as a transgender woman with a family.  Here is the full text of her prepared testimony:

Chairman Cote, members of the committee, thank you so much for adding my voice to the others you're hearing today.  My name is Allyson Robinson.  I work as Associate Director of Diversity for transgender concerns with the Human Rights Campaign, America's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization, and I'm here today to testify on behalf of HRC's over 8,600 members in New Hampshire.  But more importantly, I'm here simply as a transgender American to lift up my voice on behalf of the thousands of transgender New Hampshirites who are rendered voiceless by the very real and persistent threat of discrimination and violence. I am able to speak out for them because I’m one of the lucky ones, one of the privileged few in our transgender community.  I have a wife, children, family and friends who love, support, and encourage me.  I have meaningful work that allows me to preserve my sense of human dignity, with an employer committed to evaluating me solely on the basis of my ability to do my job.  I have a roof over my head and I enjoy three meals a day; I haven’t had to violate my moral principles to keep my family clothed, sheltered, and fed.  And I’m fortunate enough to live in a place where I can dine in a restaurant, shop in a store, or take my children to a public playground without fear of being kicked out or having police summoned—a place where those basic rights are protected by the law.  All of these things are blessings most people in America take for granted, but which no transgender person can. And yet despite my good fortune, I want you to know that I’m often afraid.  Like so many other transgender Americans, the faces of the hundreds of our brothers and sisters who have lost their lives to targeted hate violence in recent years are constantly on my mind, as are the stories of thousands more who have suffered humiliating discrimination. Because of this shared experience, and the lack of legislation to protect many of us, we look at people we pass on the street differently. We worry when we notice someone staring at us or our families in a public place. We get scared when we hear footsteps behind us in a parking lot.  When I get home from work each night, I hug my wife and kids tight and thank God I’ve made it. This is what it's like to be a transgender person in our country today, but together we—you—can make things better. This moment, this very day, is perhaps the most crucial your transgender constituents have ever faced.  The decisions you make here today and in the days to come will determine the way of life for future generations of transgender New Hampshirites.  For some, it will make the difference between life and death.  I urge you to affirm their basic humanity, and mine, by passing this important legislation.  Thank you.

HRC President Joe Solmonese also submitted a letter to Chairman Cote and members of the House Judiciary Committee in which he wrote:

A person’s gender identity or expression has nothing to do with their ability to be a good employee, a qualified renter, or a solid citizen.  Like existing laws prohibiting discrimination based on, for example, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation, prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity or expression helps ensure that people will be judged on their merits, not on stereotypes, misunderstanding, or bias. Right now, transgender people in New Hampshire simply have no legal protection against even the most blatant and outrageous forms of discrimination.  HB 415 speaks directly to this gap in the law and makes a clear statement that New Hampshire does not tolerate arbitrary discrimination in any form. I hope that you will vote to pass this important legislation, and that it will be enacted into law.