A New Hampshire organization that has been helping people access reproductive health care since 2021 and gender-affirming care since 2023 has changed its name in an effort to better reflect its mission and reflect that transgender care is a part of it.
Previously known as the Reproductive Freedom Fund of New Hampshire, the Live Free Autonomy Collective says the rebrand coincides with an effort to serve more people and expand their offerings.
As it has expanded in recent years, the organization has hired more staff, is offering care in all corners of the state and is serving more trans residents during a time when more restrictive laws have been proposed. Trans people have also reported that the political environment has impacted their mental health and sense of belonging in the state, and the organization wants to address this. So, the collective has also increased its efforts to build community by hosting more events to connect people in a safe, fun environment.
Since last year, the collective has hired additional staff, now operating with five full-time employees and one part-time North Country community organizer. It’s allowed them to put on events throughout the state and focus on serving local communities.
Alissandra Rodriguez Murray, co-executive director of the collective, says the name change reflects the values and expanding mission of the organization.
“We wanted to reclaim ‘Live Free’ as a value and ask what freedom actually means in people's lives and what it looks like for us to show up for each other in a way that enables us to have freedom in our own personal lives,” Murray said.
“Live Free” is a core trait of Granite State culture, Murray said, but they said freedom doesn’t mean much if people can’t make decisions about their own bodies. That’s where the “autonomy” part of the group’s name comes in, along with being able to access the reproductive and gender-affirming care they need.
Murray said “collective” reflects that the group is a volunteer-run organization that works with healthcare providers, donors, patients, doctors to build systems of care.
Murray said the collective’s expansion to include trans care is also a part of the name change. They opened a Queer Care Fund in partnership with the New Hampshire nonprofit 603 Equality back in 2023, when leaders of the group were worried about legislation that could restrict access to gender affirming care.
“Some of the restrictions we were worried about then in 2023 have unfortunately come to pass at this point which has made the work feel more urgent, but it doesn't change what we've always believed, which is that abortion and reproductive justice is inherently tied with trans rights and queer liberation,” Murray said.
The collective’s queer support fund is now known as the Trans Care Fund.
Part of the organization’s rebrand comes after the collective held listening sessions starting in January to better understand people's needs. Josie Pinto, also co-executive director of the collective, said one result is that the group is providing more cash assistance so people can access gender-affirming care where they need it.
Since issuing cash assistance this July, organizers said the collective has given out over $1,000 to help with labs, copays and other needs. The fund has also donated over $50,000 to clinics that have served over 400 trans people.
In addition, organizers said the collective continues their reproductive fund, an abortion funding network, and operates a Care Commons where, with the help of over 100 community partners statewide, they offer free Plan B pills and other sexual health products.
The collective has also been fostering community by hosting queer arm wrestling tournaments across the state modeled after T-Boy Wrestling events on the West Coast. Murray said they’ve been a success, noting that roughly 30 to 50 people usually come out to events.
“People say the same thing every time that, ‘It is so nice to have a low-barrier, easy-access, low-stakes place where I can come and be in community with people and I don't feel like I'm going to have to call these politicians and beg for my rights,’ or, ‘I'm not going to have to be at a protest. I can just come and be a person in community with other people,’ ” Murray said.
