Two teenage boys who think they are girls are suing New Hampshire education officials over a new law that bans some transgender students from competing in school sports that match their gender identities.
According to NBC News, Parker Tirrell, 15, and Iris Turmelle, 14, along with their families argue in their lawsuit that the new law violates Title IX, the federal civil rights legislation that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities.
New Hampshire’s law goes into effect Monday and requires so-called “transgender students” in grades 5-12 to compete on school sports teams that match their biological sex.
Predictably, these male-bodied athletes who insist on being allowed to compete against girls filed a lawsuit (via NBC News):
Tirrell, who is a rising sophomore at Plymouth Regional High School, said her school has already barred her from participating on the girls’ soccer team.
“Not being allowed to play on my team with the other girls would disconnect me from so many of my friends and make school so much harder,” Tirell said in a statement. “I just want to be myself and to learn, play, and support my teammates like I did last year.”
Turmelle, a rising freshman at Pembroke Academy in Pembroke, has not been explicitly barred from participating in any school sports yet, but intends to try out for her school’s girls’ tennis and track and field teams.
“I’m a transgender girl, I’ve known that my whole life and everyone knows I’m a girl,” Turmelle said in a statement. “I don’t understand why I shouldn’t get to have the same opportunities as other girls at school.”
Both children are being represented by GLAD, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire and law firm Goodwin Procter.
“Sports are a pillar of education in New Hampshire public schools because of the countless benefits of physical activity in a team environment, including physical and mental health, leadership skills, and social development,” Chris Erchull, a staff attorney at GLAD, said.
“New Hampshire cannot justify singling out transgender girls to deny them essential educational benefits available to other students,” Erchull added.
“Boys like this and their disgusting parents are a shit stain on our society,” women’s sports advocate Taylor Silverman wrote on X. Silverman lost awards and opportunities in skateboarding because she was forced to compete against a biological male.
Boys like this and their disgusting parents are a shit stain on our society. https://t.co/qeXhwEE6Ec
— Taylor Silverman (@tmsilverman) August 19, 2024