Standing in line at the cafeteria of the New Hampshire statehouse, Jonah Wheeler is dressed in a tweed suit, his dreadlocks pulled back in a ponytail. Tall and lanky, with sharp cheekbones and a knockout smile, the Democrat could easily be a Ralph Lauren model. But, in fact, Wheeler is one of the youngest state representatives in the country. First elected in 2022 at the age of 19, he is now 22—and already making national waves.
That’s because on March 20, he voted in favor of a bill allowing New Hampshire businesses to ban transgender women from female spaces, such as bathrooms, locker rooms, sports teams, and prisons. Before casting his vote, Wheeler declared that “the orthodoxy of the Democratic Party on this issue has left us where we can’t have nuanced discussions. And women are being silenced in this conversation.”
Swift backlash ensued.
Wheeler told me that more than 100 of the 177 Democrats in the chamber walked out in protest. He added that some stayed behind to heckle his decision, with one comparing the bill to bathroom bans faced by black people in the segregated South. (Wheeler is among the less than one percent of New Hampshire state legislators who is black.)
Over the last few weeks, Wheeler said, he’s been called a “Nazi,” a “fascist,” a “transphobe,” and a “puppet of the right.” At an angry town hall, Wheeler’s own high school art teacher said, “I don’t know how you sleep at night.” She added: “I proudly voted for you and I am ashamed at what you have done out in the world.”