New England Briefs

Transgender Worker Sues NH Employer Over Health Coverage Exclusion

GLAD Law is representing Lillian Bernier in a lawsuit against her employer Turbocam, Inc. over the company's complete exclusion of coverage for gender transition medical care, according to the organization's website.

Bernier has worked nights as a machinist at the Barrington, New Hampshire manufacturing plant since 2019 and pays into the company's health plan but faces a blanket exclusion for gender transition care. Turbocam argues it should be exempt from equal treatment laws based on the owner's religious beliefs, though the company covers same-sex spousal benefits and IVF treatment despite the owner's stated religious objections to both, GLAD Law noted.

"I'm just asking for fair coverage and to be treated the same as my coworkers," Bernier stated on GLAD's website.

The federal district court denied Turbocam's motion to dismiss in June 2024, allowing the case to proceed. In August 2025, the US Department of Justice filed a statement supporting Turbocam's position. GLAD Law filed a motion for summary judgment in October 2025 asking the court to rule in Bernier's favor without a full trial.

VT Proposes Gender-Affirming Care Trust Fund

Vermont lawmakers introduced House Bill H. 576 on January 6 to create a state-funded mechanism sustaining gender-affirming health care amid federal funding pressures, according to the Vermont House Journal.

Sponsored by Representatives Daisy Berbeco of Winooski, Tiffany Bluemle of Burlington, and Troy Headrick of Burlington, the legislation would establish the Affirming Health Care Trust Fund to address care gaps created by hospitals discontinuing services due to federal threats. The fund would finance patient costs, establish new clinics, and cover provider insurance while prohibiting disclosure of patient data to federal authorities.

If enacted, the fund would activate immediately with an oversight board convening by August 1, 2026.

NH Republicans Revive Education Restriction Bills

Despite Governor Kelly Ayotte's June veto and ongoing federal court blocks, New Hampshire Republican legislators introduced revised versions of bills restricting LGBTQ-inclusion in education, New Hampshire Public Radio reported January 5.

Senator Tim Lang of Sanbornton sponsored a revised "book ban" bill requiring schools to notify parents how to challenge materials deemed harmful. The new version drops a list of banned materials and retains only procedural requirements for parental challenges. "It's not a ban bill at all," Lang told NHPR. "It's just a procedural bill."

At least three other Republican-backed bills are near repeats from prior years, including proposals to separate locker rooms and bathrooms in schools by biological sex. Ayotte and former Governor Chris Sununu vetoed prior versions. Federal courts have temporarily blocked New Hampshire laws restricting teaching on race and gender. Despite ongoing litigation, lawmakers refiled similar bills, including one named for conservative activist Charlie Kirk that would prohibit racial and LGBTQ discussions in schools and allow lawsuits against school districts and employees who violate the law.