Parents sue N.H. school district amidst discourse over transgender athlete

As a Plymouth teen challenges a ban on transgender athletes in New Hampshire, local parents pursue legal action against the school district.

By McKenzie Cooper and Tara Nguyen

Three parents and a grandparent have filed a lawsuit in Concord, New Hampshire claiming their First Amendment rights were violated when they were asked to leave a soccer game for protesting a transgender athlete. 

On September 17, the Bow High School girls’ soccer team played a home game against Plymouth Regional High School. During the game, the plaintiffs of this case, Anthony Foote and Kyle Fellers wore bright pink wristbands marked with XX to represent biological female chromosomes.  

The game was paused for several minutes as officials addressed the parents, asking that they remove the wristbands. Upon refusal, police officers threatened to charge the parents with trespassing. After the game, the two received a no-trespassing order from the school, forbidding them from attending future soccer games or school events. 

In the lawsuit, directed toward the New Hampshire Bow High School, the plaintiffs claim that the school violated their constitutional rights. “Parents don’t shed their First Amendment rights at the entrance to a school’s soccer field. We wore pink wristbands to silently support our daughters and their right to fair competition,” said Fellers. 

The parents removed the wristband after a referee said Bow High School would have to forfeit if the wristbands were not removed. Among the complaints, the parents found it upsetting how others were allowed to express their opinions and still be permitted to attend games. 

“Instead of fostering open dialogue, school officials responded with threats and bans that have a direct impact on our lives and our children’s lives,” Fellers said in a statement. 

Foote’s restrictions were lifted on the 21st, while Fellers is banned for the remainder of the fall term. 

This comes after a federal judge extended a temporary order for a transgender girl to play on her high school soccer team. 

In July, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, signed a bill requiring sports teams grades 5-12 to designate teams as boys, girls, or co-ed, with eligibility determined by a student’s birth certificate or “other” proof. Effectively banning transgender athletes from sports that align with their gender-identity.