If Portsmouth is indeed the "City of the Open Door," then it should embrace adopting a nondiscrimination policy for transgender individuals, said Assistant Mayor Jim Splaine.

If Portsmouth is indeed the "City of the Open Door," then it should embrace adopting a nondiscrimination policy for transgender individuals, said Assistant Mayor Jim Splaine.



"I want to make sure the 'City of the Open Door' has a welcome mat for all residents and visitors," Splaine said. "There's nothing more important than the way we treat one another."



Splaine, along with other advocates for transgender nondiscrimination, made the assertion Wednesday in front of the Seacoast Media Group editorial board.



As an openly gay man who for years has fought for marriage equality in the state Legislature, Splaine said he has now set his sights on equality for all transgender people in the Granite State.



And with the hope that Portsmouth will take the lead on the discussion moving forward, Splaine said he wants fellow members of the City Council to get behind a resolution he is proposing to enact a "Portsmouth Nondiscrimination Policy." Splaine said he intends to ask the council to adopt the resolution at its March 3 meeting.



The proposal, which Splaine first floated in front of the City Council on Feb. 3, would create a nondiscrimination policy for transgender municipal employees, as well as encourage statewide protections for transgender individuals.



"We should not discriminate just because somebody is gay or straight or transgender," he said. "It should be a policy in our city government and we should encourage the state to adopt something similar."



The state Legislature in 2009 had considered a bill encouraging protections for transgender nondiscrimination, but that effort was put on the back burner because the subject of same-sex marriage had risen to the forefront.



"It has not been revisited since," Splaine said, adding that he has approached several lawmakers about bringing the issue back up but has yet to gain support.



Joining Splaine on Wednesday was Janson Wu, staff attorney for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders.



Wu said the issue of implementing anti-discrimination policies for transgender individuals is something communities across the country are doing these days.

Close to 200 municipalities have adopted anti-discrimination protections for transgender individuals, according to Wu.



There are 17 states in the country that have anti-discrimination policies for transgender individuals, but Wu said New Hampshire continues to lag behind. He said the Granite State is the only state in New England without similar protections.



"This is a tremendous opportunity to educate the general public about what it means to be transgender," Wu said.



Also in attendance for the discussion Wednesday was Julian Long, a transgender individual who is active on the steering committee of Transgender New Hampshire, an organization created to promote transgender visibility, education, support and civil rights in the state of New Hampshire.



Long said he knows firsthand what it's like to be discriminated against because of his identity as a transgender individual.



"I'm a transgender Granite Stater and I've met lots of people who unfortunately face discrimination both in New Hampshire and other states as well."



Having just completed a job search, Long said he was often concerned with whether his prospective employer would discriminate against him.



Splaine said while he has yet to hear of any instances of discrimination at the local level, that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.



"It's my feeling that discrimination exists wherever discrimination is not actively opposed," he said. "It could happen because we don't have an active policy (ensuring) that it can't happen."