New England Briefs

MAINE

Anti-Trans Referendum Clears Signature Hurdle; Opponents Mobilize

Maine could become the first state to put transgender student protections to a statewide popular vote after the group "Protect Girls Sports in Maine" delivered more than 82,000 petition signatures to the Secretary of State's office on Monday, February 2 — roughly 14,000 more than the approximately 68,000 required. The proposed ballot question would require public school students to play on sports teams matching the sex on their birth certificates and would bar transgender students from bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. It would also allow students to file civil suits claiming they were deprived of athletic opportunity by competing alongside transgender athletes.

The campaign has been exclusively funded by an $800,000 contribution from Richard Uihlein, the Wisconsin-based shipping supplies billionaire and prolific conservative donor. A coalition led by EqualityMaine, GLAD Law, and the Maine Women's Lobby immediately formed to oppose the measure, with coalition spokesperson David Farmer calling the initiative a "one-size-fits-all approach to sports participation and bathrooms that will increase bullying and harassment and cost local schools millions of dollars for construction and litigation."

The Secretary of State has 30 days to certify the signatures. If validated, the Legislature can choose to enact the proposal, send a competing measure to voters, or let it proceed to the November ballot — where it will share the stage with a blockbuster U.S. Senate race, a wide-open governor's contest, and a competitive 2nd Congressional District fight.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Gov. Ayotte Vetoes "Bathroom Bill" for Third Consecutive Year

Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoed Senate Bill 268 on Friday, February 6, marking the third straight year a New Hampshire governor has rejected legislation that would carve exceptions into the state's 2018 anti-discrimination law protecting gender identity. SB 268 would have allowed businesses, schools, prisons, and other organizations to exclude transgender people from restrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams that match their gender identity.

In her veto statement, Ayotte noted there was minimal difference between this bill and the version she rejected in 2025, which itself was virtually identical to a bill vetoed by her Republican predecessor, Chris Sununu, in 2024. Sununu had called the earlier version contrary to New Hampshire's "Live Free or Die spirit" and said it sought to solve problems that hadn't presented themselves.

Conservative lawmakers lack the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto. In December, they failed to overturn Ayotte's 2025 veto on a 159—190 vote. But the issue isn't going away: HB 1447, filed for 2026, would again attempt to separate facilities by biological sex and go further by mandating such separation for state entities.

It's worth noting the veto came from a governor who has not been uniformly supportive of transgender rights. In 2025, Ayotte signed two bills banning gender-affirming care for minors while vetoing the bathroom bill on the narrower grounds that it was "overly broad and impractical to enforce."

VERMONT & RHODE ISLAND

New England AGs Help Lead Federal Lawsuit
Over HHS Anti-Trans Funding Conditions

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha is co-leading a 12-state lawsuit filed January 13 in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island — joined by Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark and attorneys general from ten other states — challenging what the coalition calls the Trump administration's illegal use of federal funding to coerce states into discriminating against transgender people.

At issue is a Department of Health and Human Services policy requiring recipients of federal health, education, and research grants to certify compliance with a presidential executive order that redefines sex in a way that excludes transgender people. HHS has warned that noncompliant recipients could face grant termination, repayment of funds, and even civil or criminal liability — applying the conditions retroactively to existing grants, not just new ones.

In Vermont, the policy threatens more than 250 federal grants representing nearly $2 million flowing to state entities. Clark called the action "yet another illegal attack by the President and his administration on transgender people," noting that Vermont law explicitly protects all gender identities and prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in education, public accommodations, housing, and employment. The lawsuit is Clark's 41st case against the Trump administration since January 2025.

In Rhode Island, where the case was filed, Neronha called the conditions "yet another distraction from an Administration that would rather target marginalized groups than do anything to help the American people." Rhode Island state law similarly prohibits state agencies from discriminating on the basis of gender identity or expression. The lawsuit is Neronha's 47th action against the Trump administration.

The coalition argues HHS lacks the authority to rewrite Title IX through executive action, that the policy violates the Constitution's separation of powers, and that it breaks federal law by attaching vague, retroactive conditions to funding. Multiple federal courts — including a Rhode Island court in October 2025 — have already blocked comparable restrictions. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Melissa R. DuBose.

RHODE ISLAND

AG Neronha Joins Second Challenge to
Federal Gender-Affirming Care Restrictions

In a related but separate action, Neronha also joined a 19-state coalition challenging HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s December 18 "declaration" that certain forms of gender-affirming care are "unsafe and ineffective." That declaration threatens to exclude any health care providers or hospitals that provide gender-affirming care for transgender youth from Medicare and Medicaid. Two proposed federal rules — one barring Medicaid and CHIP funding for such care, the other prohibiting hospitals from providing it — carry a public comment deadline of February 17. That deadline has driven significant mobilization across New England, with attorneys general, advocacy organizations, and health care providers urging public comment before the window closes.

CONNECTICUT

Homophobic Backlash Greets Proposal to
Honor Pioneering Gay Coach in Westport

A proposal to rename a Staples High School sports field after Dan Woog — one of the first openly gay high school coaches in the country — drew swift support from the Westport community but also an explicitly anti-gay objection from a member of the Representative Town Meeting.

Westport resident Phillip Perri emailed all 36 RTM members on February 5 requesting the honor for Woog, who coached Staples soccer from 2003 to 2021, winning four FCIAC championships and a state title. Woog was recently named to the LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame's 2026 class and is already inducted into both the Connecticut Soccer and FCIAC halls of fame. Beyond athletics, Woog founded the first Gay-Straight Alliance at any Connecticut public school, co-founded the OutSpoken youth support group that he ran for 23 years, and has written extensively on LGBTQ issues in sports and education.

More than 20 RTM members quickly co-sponsored the renaming. But RTM member Victoria Wylie, who joined the body last November, emailed the entire RTM that she opposed the proposal because she has "always been taken aback" by what she called Woog's choice to be "so open with his sexual proclivities," calling it "highly inappropriate for an adult to share their sexual preferences in a school environment." Wylie also claimed that some former students avoided the soccer team due to Woog's "openly-gay lifestyle."
RTM member Andrew Colabella, lead sponsor of the renaming effort and a 2007 Staples graduate, called Woog an "incredible, successful, loving, giving, caring individual" who touched numerous lives. RTM member Adam Drake objected to Wylie's use of the terms "sexual proclivity" and "lifestyle" to describe sexual orientation, calling the language shocking from an elected official.

Westport Pride issued a statement in support of the renaming, saying that "when communities honor LGBTQ+ leaders, it's a reflection of our values — that visibility, integrity, and service matter."

An online petition to rename Wakeman B Field as Dan Woog Soccer Field has already gathered hundreds of signatures. Woog, who also runs the popular 06880 community blog, said he was honored by the proposal but declined to comment on the controversy.