Mack: I Testified To Protect Women's Spaces. A State Senator Called It 'Terrorism.'

By Grace Mack, NH Journal

Apparently, not wanting men in women’s bathrooms and locker rooms is a form of terrorism in 2026. At least, according to Sen. Debra Altschiller (D-Stratham).

It is no secret that the topic of transgender people and which bathrooms they use is a controversial and sensitive subject. Here in New Hampshire, the issue is not as prevalent as it is in other states, but that does not mean that women’s safety is not under threat in the Granite State.

Currently, three bills are actively being reviewed at the State House that protect women’s sports and private spaces, and state that it is not discriminatory to separate sports, bathrooms, and locker rooms by biological sex: HB 1217, HB 1299, and HB 1447. On Tuesday, April 22, those three bills came before a Senate hearing for review and public testimony. While I had the opportunity to speak in support of all three bills, there were an alarming number of people who spoke in opposition.

A number of arguments were made by those in opposition, including that these bills “are harmful to women” and that they “deny the existence of transgender women.” Those claims don’t hold up to scrutiny.

But what happens when a member of the committee reveals her true feelings about the bills during a hearing?

Almost as soon as I walked into the room, I could see that Sen. Altschiller was not on the side of common sense. Her demeanor toward those testifying in support of the bills was cold and dismissive. She even attempted to cut off Rep. Katherine O’Brien’s (R) testimony before her 90-second time slot had expired. During my own testimony, she barely looked at me and asked no follow-up questions, while she was attentive and even sympathetic toward those speaking against the bills.

After one particular testimony from a person opposing the bills, Sen. Altschiller asked a question that drew an audible reaction from those of us supporting the legislation. She said, “Thank you for bringing up the mental health toll that drawing from this particular well takes on transgender people, on transgender people’s families and friends. And would you say that, since we’re going to have 16 bills over the course of this session, and all of — like you said — the preparation and the rhetoric around it and the fear mongering that builds from it, that this is a form of stochastic terrorism?”

After multiple hours of keeping my composure while listening to people say my safety did not matter to them, I—along with others who had come to the State House to testify in favor of the bills—could not hide my shock and anger. The person testifying could not even answer the senator’s question, and the committee chair had to intervene, stating that the senator was way off base.

To be accused of fear-mongering and engaging in a form of terrorism simply for saying I do not want men in women’s bathrooms—by a female senator, no less—was appalling, frightening, and infuriating. These three bills are pro-truth, pro-reality, and pro-women’s rights, which is something that people on the political left claim to strongly support. If Sen. Altschiller is any indicator of how these people truly feel, she has made it abundantly clear that they couldn’t care less about women’s rights.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte has declined to sign bills to protect girls’ spaces on two previous occasions, stating that the issue is “a complicated one.” As a former athlete, former coach, and user of public bathrooms, it frustrates me that the governor has continued to allow men into our private spaces. It makes me feel as though the governor, a woman herself, would rather put other women at risk than acknowledge the facts.

The bills will now, if passed by the Senate, go to Gov. Ayotte’s desk for the third time. Can we count on her to protect girls in the Granite State? Only time will tell.

Grace Mack is a Hampstead resident who currently works for Turning Point USA as a Field Representative.

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.