CONCORD, NH — Momentum is building nationwide to restore clarity, fairness, and common sense to the law. Independent Women Voice’s Stand with Women legislative model, which would codify definitions of “woman” and “man” in law, has now been adopted by 18 states across the country, protecting women’s privacy, safety, and equal opportunity. Last week, New Hampshire joined that growing movement.
With the House’s passage of SB 268, New Hampshire lawmakers took a decisive step to protect women and girls by advancing legislation that legally defines sex in state code—grounding the law in objective reality.
SB 268 would bring long-sought-after clarity to state law by affirming that biological sex is a legitimate and necessary legal classification. If passed by the state legislature and signed into law, SB 268 would:
- Define common sex-based terms, such as “female” and “male,” for the purposes of state administrative law;
- Help protect single-sex spaces and opportunities, including bathrooms, locker rooms, sports, prisons, and other sex-based spaces.
Independent Women has spearheaded a national movement to define sex in law and protect women’s spaces and sports. SB 268 reflects years of advocacy to ensure laws are rooted in reality, not ideology, and that women and girls are not forced to sacrifice privacy, safety, or equal opportunity.
Bronwyn Sims, athlete, gymnastics coach, and Independent Women’s Network member, said, “New Hampshire women and girls deserve safety, privacy, fairness in sports, and to be legally recognized as distinct from men in New Hampshire law. The House’s passage of SB 268 moved New Hampshire one step closer to helping protect and safeguard female opportunities and private spaces from attack by those who seek to manipulate the definition of words to achieve policies that lack public support.”
Beth Parlato, senior legal counsel for Independent Women’s Law Center, said, “We commend the New Hampshire Legislature for standing with women and girls. They have affirmed the simple truth that sex matters. We urge the governor to sign this bill and affirm that sex-based protections are necessary for all New Hampshire girls to enjoy the privacy, safety, and opportunities they deserve.”
Independent Women applauds the New Hampshire legislature for amending this bill from last legislative session after the organization raised serious concerns throughout the session that the inclusion of “gender identity” in the bill would have defeated the bill’s purpose of protecting single-sex spaces.
Independent Women’s sex-definition model has been adopted in 18 states across the country—North Carolina, Kansas, Tennessee, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Georgia, and Texas. These laws now positively affect the lives of more than 49 million women and girls.
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