Parents in Bow face bans over protest against transgender girls in school sports
Published: 09-23-2024 5:15 PM
Modified: 09-23-2024 6:51 PM |
Parents in Bow who wore pink armbands in protest of transgender athletes participating in girls’ school sports have been banned from school property by the local school district.
Anthony Foote and Kyle Fellers wore pink armbands emblazoned with “XX” — a reference to the sex chromosomes associated with biological females — during Tuesday’s girl’s soccer match between Bow High School and Plymouth Regional High School, which had a transgender player.
Following the match, school officials issued no-trespass letters to the parents on Friday, stating they “participated and led the protest, which was designed to and had the effect of, intimidating, threatening, harassing, and discouraging” a player from the opposing team.
The player from Plymouth Regional High School was 15-year-old Parker Tirrell, a transgender girl who has sued the state of New Hampshire to preserve her right to play after a statewide ban took effect in August.
While the no-trespassing order against Foote is set to expire on Sep 23, Fellers received a more severe penalty and was banned for the entire fall sports season.
Foote could not be reached for comment and Fellers declined to comment based on legal advice, he said.
Superintendent Marcy Kelley said Foote complied when asked to remove the armband, but Fellers refused and was ordered to leave the fields during the game, leading to his lengthy ban.
“It was a concerted organized effort because the parents had posted on social media before the game,” said Kelley.
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In a video posted on TikTok, Fellers is seen refusing to remove the armband when a police officer requests that he do so.
“We have the right to be silent and wear our armbands – an armband that’s protesting breast cancer,” Fellers said when the game was paused. “It’s a breast cancer pink wristband.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s game, the school’s athletic director sent an email to the families of Bow and Dunbarton girls playing soccer against Plymouth Regional High School, addressing the importance of sportsmanship and appropriate sideline behavior.
“This is a contest between high school student-athletes and should be treated as such,” the letter from Bow High School Administration stated, advising against inappropriate signs, language, or any other disruptions.
In an email response to the school and other families, Foote criticized the school’s stance, claiming they were “weak, ineffective ” and “out of touch with real leadership.”
“You’d rather be ‘woke’ than do what’s right,” he wrote. “Protect our daughters before someone else gets hurt.”
Last year Bow High School and Plymouth Regional High School faced off with Parker on the team without incident or protest.
“This shows that the intent of wearing the armbands was not to support women in sports it was a protest against a particular player,” said Kelley.
However, the issue has shifted in the past year following the recent law signed by Governor Chris Sununu, which prohibits students assigned male at birth from competing on female sports teams in grades 5 through 12.
“You don’t let biological males — who are stronger, faster, and more physically dominant — compete against women,” wrote Foote “And you don’t sit around waiting for someone to get hurt before you take action.”
After a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Parker and 14-year-old Iris Turmelle, a transgender girl from Pembroke, a federal court ruled earlier this month that the two can continue playing on girls’ sports teams while their lawsuit proceeds.
Judge Landya McCafferty issued this ruling stating that the ban likely violates the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. She said that it is “impossible to classify by transgender status without classifying by sex or gender.”
Parker’s mother, Sara Tirrell, who wasn’t at the game, later learned that the match had been briefly paused.
While unaware of the full extent of what was happening on the sidelines, Tirrell said Parker shared that she “felt a little awkward.”
“She got a really nice note from a couple of the players in Bow just saying that they really admired her and thought that she was a good role model for young girls and they hope she had a good season,” said Tirrell. “It was really nice that the other team players support Parker. That was awesome.”
Despite the disruption, Parker found support from her fellow athletes. Some players from Bow reached out after the game, offering encouragement.
The game was paused for 10 to 15 minutes after Fellers refused to comply with the order to leave the field. After exiting, he made his way to the parking lot, where he continued to wave a large sign in protest, according to Kelley.
The school district’s order prohibits the two parents from entering any district buildings, grounds or property. They are also banned from attending any Bow School District athletic or extracurricular events, whether on or off school grounds.
Additionally, the district said that extra police presence was necessary at the game to maintain order amid the protest.
“This conduct did not abide by our public conduct on school property policy,” Kelley wrote in an email to the community.