Milford, New Hampshire is located on the Souhegan River in Hillsborough County. In 1794, Milford split from Amherst and became an incorporated town unto itself. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,131 people.
At one time, there were many granite quarries in the town, some of these stones were used to make the pillars for the U.S. treasury in Washington, D.C. These pillars are depicted on the back of a $10 bill. Who knew? While there’s only a single quarry remaining (as of 2017), the town still carries the nickname, “The Granite Town.”
Milford was the home of Harriet E. Wilson, whose 1859 semi-autobiographical novel, “Our Nig: Or, Sketches in the Life of a FreeBlack” was the first in the country to be published and by an African-American woman.
But now Milford is in the news for different reasons. On Friday, February 10, about 150 students participated in a peaceful protest at both Milford high and middle schools. These students were protesting new bathroom restrictions. Earlier in the week there was quite a debate by the board of education about whether or not to separate locker rooms and bathrooms by birth gender alone, not including gender identity.
STUDENT WALKOUT: Milford high school students are protesting the school board’s decision to restrict bathrooms. The board voted Monday to limit the number of students in bathrooms to the number of stalls amid ongoing discussions about policies regarding gender and bathrooms #wmur pic.twitter.com/JNECtx6gLm
— Hannah Cotter (@HannahWMUR) February 10, 2023
During that debate held on Monday, February 6, Nathaniel Wheeler, vice chairman, proposed separating locker and bathrooms by birth gender. His proposal was to have gender-neutral, single-stall bathrooms, thus ending the district’s present policy allowing students the use of a bathroom whose gender they identify with. This proposal was criticized by LGBTQ students. What was accepted in a 4-1 vote was a urinal prohibition proposed by board member Noah Boudreault as a compromise. Now the urinals are covered in lawn size trash bags.
One of the students who took part in Friday’s protest stated students were not even consulted about the proposed new policy.
But, getting back to vice chairman Wheeler; he has no children in either the public or private school system, he home schools them. He himself, was home-schooled by his dad David Wheeler, who is now serving his 7th term as an Executive Councilor. Nathaniel Wheeler claims to serve on the school board to be aware of what is going on and determining how tax dollars are spent, which is commendable and the right of every citizen. However, he recently testified, as a school board member, before the NH House of Representatives on House Bill 396, which is relative to the state recognition of biological sex and could affect transgender students.
This goes back to my earlier article of a few days ago about Free Staters and Liberty Alliance members. How they quietly infiltrate local, governing boards. Are the Wheelers Free Staters? We don’t know, but to learn more about Free Staters, please read this Boston Globe article "Free Staters Seek to Undo NH Government from Within."
Sad to say, but there is a similar bathroom debate taking place in Concord concerning the public schools there.