UNITED STATES NEWS

2 transgender New Hampshire girls can play on girls sports teams during lawsuit, a judge rules

Sep 10, 2024, 12:07 PM

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Two transgender girls can try out for and play on girls school sports teams while the teens challenge a New Hampshire ban, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

The families of Parker Tirrell, 15, and Iris Turmelle, 14, sued in August seeking to overturn the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act that Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law in July. While Turmelle doesn’t plan to play sports until December, Tirrell successfully sought an emergency order allowing her to start soccer practice last month. That order was expiring Tuesday.

In issuing a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty found Tirrell and Turmelle were likely to succeed in their lawsuit. She found that the students “demonstrated a likelihood of irreparable harm” in the absence of a preliminary order.

Before the law was enacted, “Parker had been participating in girls’ sports at Plymouth Elementary School and Plymouth Regional High School, and Iris had participated in tennis and tried out for her middle school softball team,” McCafferty wrote. “There is no indication in the record that plaintiffs’ participation in school sports has caused the state or anyone else the slightest modicum of harm.”

McCafferty noted that at a hearing last month, she brought up the possibility of a trial this fall, before winter track season starts for Turmelle. An attorney representing the students said he would be ready for a trial; an attorney for the state did not indicate that.

McCafferty wrote Tuesday that a trial would almost certainly occur well after December.

“We are currently reviewing the court’s decision and are in the process of evaluating the implications of the ruling,” Michael Garrity, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire attorney general’s office, said in a news release. “We remain dedicated to providing a safe environment for all students. The state will continue to consider all legal avenues to ensure that we uphold both the law and our commitment to student welfare.”

A message seeking comment was sent to GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, which represents the students.

McCafferty’s ruling came a day after a federal appeals court upheld a lower-court ruling that blocks Arizona from enforcing a 2022 ban on transgender girls from playing on girls school sports teams.

The New Hampshire lawsuit says the state’s ban violates constitutional protections and federal laws because the teens are being denied equal educational opportunities and are being discriminated against because they are transgender.

Lawyers for the state said the teens’ lawyers haven’t proven their case and haven’t shown why alternatives, such as participating in coed teams, couldn’t be an option.

The bill signed by Sununu bans transgender athletes in grades 5 to 12 from teams that align with their gender identity. It require schools to designate all teams as either girls, boys or coed, with eligibility determined based on students’ birth certificates “or other evidence.”

Sununu had said it “ensures fairness and safety in women’s sports by maintaining integrity and competitive balance in athletic competitions.” He said it added the state to nearly half in the nation that adopted similar measures.

The rights of transgender people — especially young people — have become a major political battleground in recent years as trans visibility has increased. Most Republican-controlled states have banned gender-affirming health care for transgender minors, and several have adopted policies limiting which school bathrooms trans people can use and barring trans girls from some sports competitions.

United States News

Valentine's Day roses are unwrapped after being inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agr...

Associated Press

Roses are red, violets are blue, 940 million flowers are traveling (through Miami) to you

MIAMI (AP) — If any husbands or boyfriends mess up Valentine’s Day this week, it’s not because of a shortage of flowers. In the run up to Feb. 14, agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport have processed about 940 million stems of cut flowers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Around 90% of the […]

5 hours ago

Maryland Department of Transportation employees use a backhoe to load a truck with salt at the Stat...

Associated Press

Virginia governor declares storm emergency as snow and ice bear down on mid-Atlantic states

A wintry mess was bearing down on mid-Atlantic states Tuesday with forecasts of significant snow and ice accumulations prompting warnings of potential power outages. The National Weather Service said travel would become treacherous Tuesday through early Wednesday in much of Virginia and West Virginia. Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday declared a state of […]

6 hours ago

FILE - Author Salman Rushdie poses for a portrait to promote his book "Knife: Meditations After an ...

Associated Press

Testimony in trial of man accused of trying to kill Salman Rushdie heads into 2nd day

Testimony is set to continue Tuesday in the trial of the man charged with stabbing famed author Salman Rushdie in a frenzied knife attack on a western New York stage. Jurors in the trial of Hadi Matar, 27, on Monday heard from staffers at the arts institution where Rushdie was set to give a speech […]

6 hours ago

FILE - Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nomin...

Associated Press

How Elon Musk’s crusade against government could benefit Tesla

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles. Now, Musk’s close relationship with President Donald Trump means many of those federal headaches […]

6 hours ago

FILE - Linda McMahon speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate,...

Associated Press

Trump’s education chief comes from the boardroom, not the classroom. Backers say that’s her strength

WASHINGTON (AP) — Linda McMahon once described herself as an outsider stepping into the world of education, a business leader with an “inquiring mind” who would challenge the status quo and demand more for students. That was 15 years ago, when McMahon was beginning a stint on the Connecticut Board of Education. But her backers […]

6 hours ago

Students interact in a fourth grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, C...

Associated Press

America’s kids are still behind in reading and math. These schools are defying the trend

COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Math is the subject sixth grader Harmoni Knight finds hardest, but that’s changing. In-class tutors and “data chats” at her middle school in Compton, California, have made a dramatic difference, the 11-year-old said. She proudly pulled up a performance tracker at a tutoring session last week, displaying a column of perfect […]

6 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Collins Comfort Masters

Collins Comfort Masters: Your go-to plumbing experts in Arizona

Collins Comfort Masters, a trusted name in HVAC, water and plumbing since 1985, is you go-to plumbers for the residents of Phoenix and the Valley.

...

Bright Wealth Management

How to start your retirement planning early and avoid costly mistakes

Retirement planning can feel overwhelming, but with the right guidance, you can avoid costly pitfalls.

...

Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Join us for the 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade

The 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe returns on Saturday, December 28, at 10 a.m.

2 transgender New Hampshire girls can play on girls sports teams during lawsuit, a judge rules