The Affirming Spaces Project (ASP) is a New Hampshire-based organization dedicated to improving local communities through development and maintenance of welcoming and affirming environments for patrons, visitors and employees of all genders.

In 2018, Governor Chris Sununu signed House Bill 1319 into law, creating gender-based non-discrimination protections and establishing a new standard for tolerance and inclusion across New Hampshire. The message was clear: the thousands of trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people living in New Hampshire deserve the same rights as every other citizen.

Even with these protections in place, navigating life as a TGNC person can still be daunting. Something as basic as getting a haircut, going for a massage, or calling in a dinner reservation can lead to misunderstanding or poor treatment, even from well-intentioned employees. There continues to be a significant gap between the bare-minimum protections and the positive change still needed to truly create and sustain friendly, comfortable business environments for people of all genders.

The Affirming Spaces Project intends to close this gap. We will do this by providing education to and building a network of like-minded spaces and services that TGNC folks and their allies will feel good about supporting.

Here's how it works: ASP provides training, resources, and ongoing support to local businesses and organizations to help them ensure people of all genders feel welcomed and affirmed in their spaces. After completing the training, they get a sticker to display that identifies them as one of our Community Partners. Then, we add them to our searchable online database, and voilà — our visible network of Affirming Spaces grows a little larger!

The Affirming Spaces Project partners with Renaissance New England (RNE), a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to support New Hampshire's transgender and gender-diverse communities.