The Republican Governor of New Hampshire, Kelly Ayotte, has vetoed two bills that would have prevented biological males who identify as females from using women’s restrooms and locker rooms and enhanced parental rights, effectively turning on her conservative Christian constituents. Gov. Ayotte called the bills “impractical to enforce,” saying that they could potentially create “an exclusionary environment.”
For background, on July 15, 2025, Gov. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire announced that she had vetoed House Bill 148 and House Bill 324, which were previously passed by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature. Had they been signed into law, the bills would have protected women and girls’ intimate spaces and established a process that would allow parents to call for the removal of explicit curriculum in schools.
In a statement published on July 15, Gov. Ayotte said that House Bill 148 presented “important and legitimate privacy and safety concerns” related to “biological males using places such as female locker rooms and being placed in female correctional facilities.” She added, “At the same time, I see that House Bill 148 is overly broad and impractical to enforce, potentially creating an exclusionary environment for some of our citizens.”
Moreover, the governor said that while she believes that “the legislature should address this serious issue,” the solution would be taking a “thoughtful and narrow” approach that “protects the privacy, safety, and rights of all New Hampshire citizens.” She clarified, “However, with House Bill 148, I have concerns about the broadness of this bill, the unintended impacts accompanying its implementation, and that it will spur a plethora of litigation against local communities and businesses.”
Furthermore, the governor referred to herself as “the mother of a daughter who competed in three sports in high school,” saying that she has “serious concerns about fairness and safety when biological males participate in women’s sports.” The governor added that her administration would “continue to vigorously defend” another law that prohibits “biological males from competing in girls’ sports in K-12 schools.”
Regarding House Bill 324, Gov. Ayotte said, “As a parent, I understand and appreciate the concerns parents have about their children being exposed to age-inappropriate or objectionable materials in schools.” However, she clarified, “I do not believe the State of New Hampshire needs to, nor should it, engage in the role of addressing questions of literary value and appropriateness, particularly where the system created by House Bill 324 calls for monetary penalties based on subjective standards.”
After Gov. Ayotte vetoed House Bill 324, the National Education Association of New Hampshire reportedly celebrated, calling the bill a “classroom censorship effort” and adding, “Every student deserves to see themselves reflected in the pages of their books.”
On the other hand, State House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn), decried the vetoing of the bill and describing it as equally necessary to a recently passed law banning cellphones from K-12 schools, saying, “Now that kids can’t get [explicit material] on their phones while at school, at least they can still find it in the library.”
Featured image credit: Gov. Kelly Ayotte via X