Overview
- Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoed SB 268 on Feb. 6, marking another rejection of legislation to restrict access to sex-segregated spaces based on sex at birth.
- The bill sought to redefine biological sex as sex assigned at birth and allow schools, prisons, and businesses to bar transgender people from certain restrooms, locker rooms, detention facilities, and school athletics.
- Ayotte argued the measure was minimally different from 2025’s HB 148, calling it overly broad, impractical to enforce, and potentially exclusionary.
- Former Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a similar proposal in 2024, and Republican lawmakers failed in December to override Ayotte’s 2025 veto.
- LGBTQ+ advocates, including 603 Equality, praised the latest veto as protecting transgender rights, while conservative outlets criticized Ayotte’s decision.