Several hundred people gathered in Manchester's Victory Park Saturday for the third annual Trans Equality Rally.
Speakers celebrated what they called recent legislative victories for the New Hampshire transgender community. These include a new law that allows a third gender marker on state drivers licenses and a new anti-discrimination law in schools. They also told rally attendees more work is needed.
That sentiment was echoed by Mikayla Bourque of Belmont who is already focusing on bills for next year. She hopes to see legislation at the State House that would make single use bathrooms in New Hampshire gender neutral.
“We’re hoping for the new signs on the bathrooms.” Borque explained. “That would make people more comfortable here in New Hampshire.”
Other event attendees were there to learn more about the trans community or show support.
Jas Lafond, a genderqueer blogger who uses they/them pronouns, says they were there to provide support for their “trans siblings.” Lafond runs a Facebook advice page called Ask a Brown Feminem and has a goal of making “New Hampshire as inclusive of queer and black identities as possible.”
