'What Courage Looks Like': NH Dem's Vocal Opposition to Trans Surgery for Minors Draws Praise, Threats

Though New Hampshire has been in the news a lot in recent months due to it being an early primary state that GOP presidential candidates have been frequently visiting, other policy-related things are going on there that are also of national importance.

One of them has been the discussion over a bill that would prevent minors who claim to be transgender from getting so-called gender-affirming surgery. It's been a hotly debated issue not just at the national level but at state levels as well, with several now effectively banning or otherwise putting major restrictions on the process.

READ: Mike DeWine Explains Veto of Bill That Protected Women's Sports and Minors, His Critics Aren't Buying It

Republicans narrowly control the New Hampshire state house, but House Bill 619 passed Thursday 199 -175 with the support of 14 Democrats including Rep. Jonah Wheeler, who gave an impassioned speech explaining why he supported the bill even though he was, in his words, a "liberal Democrat":

“The question before us is whether or not children under the age of 18 should be able to get these surgeries,” Wheeler stated. “I, despite being a liberal who believes in those human rights, do not think that is the case.”
[...]
The lawmaker defended the act’s exceptions for genitalic malignancy, injury, malformation and circumcision, but argued he would not “sign up” for “irreversible” operations.
“When people have problems with their genitals that need to be addressed, that should be addressed,” Wheeler acknowledged. “But, when we’re talking about whether or not kids should get these surgeries, I think that goes a bridge too far.”

Watch:

State Rep. Jonah Wheeler speaks in the New Hampshire statehouse about why he decided to join 13 other Democrats in voting to ban gender-transition surgeries for minors. The bill passed by a narrow margin due to these Dems’ support. pic.twitter.com/v0JqjsYGAj
— Benjamin Ryan (@benryanwriter) January 5, 2024

As independent journalist Megyn Kelly observed, that's "what courage looks like," especially when one considers the threats Wheeler allegedly faced after his speech from some of his colleagues on the left:

Wheeler was besieged by outraged progressives in the House anteroom. Multiple sources confirmed to NHJournal that the reaction was so intense that several House Republicans went there out of concern for Wheeler.
[...]
But as the morning wore on, the mood among Democrats didn’t improve. The animosity rose to such a point that House Democratic Caucus Leader Matt Wilhelm (D-Manchester) felt the need to call a caucus meeting around lunchtime in an attempt to soothe emotions.
Wilhelm declined to respond to questions about Thursday’s events. But multiple sources confirmed the lunchtime bull session didn’t work. Instead, there were so many threats made against Wheeler by his fellow Democrats that State House security stepped in.
According to those sources, members of the House Sergeants-at-Arms overheard comments that concerned them so much that they reached out to the State House Security Unit of the State Police.

What's especially remarkable about Wheeler's vote is that he's in the very demographic that has proven to be far more accepting of the LGBTQ agenda than other age groups. He's 20 years old. Yep, 20. And yet he's already showing a level of maturity about a sensitive issue from which maybe his woke Democratic colleagues can one day learn.

The bill now heads to the New Hampshire Senate, which is controlled by Republicans 14-10. It's unclear where Republican Gov. Chris Sununu stands on the legislation, but trans rights groups are calling on him to veto the bill should it reach his desk.