Families of trans athletes sue over N.H. law banning them from girls’ sports

The families of two transgender girls are suing the state of New Hampshire over a new state law barring them from playing girls sports.

Gov. Chris Sununu signed the law, House Bill 1205, last month. It prohibits transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports in middle and high school, and requires an original birth certificate or “other evidence” of the sex a student was assigned at birth.

In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court, the ACLU of New Hampshire and the legal advocacy group GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders asked a judge to block that law from being enforced.

The lawsuit argues HB 1205 violates federal laws against sex-based discrimination, by denying students equal access to school activities solely because they are transgender.

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of two teenage plaintiffs: 15-year-old Parker Tirrell, an avid soccer player entering her sophomore year at Plymouth Regional High School, and Iris Turmelle, a 14-year-old who hopes to try out for tennis and track and field in her freshman year at Pembroke Academy.

“Without this Court’s immediate intervention, Parker and Iris will be

denied the chance to participate in these vital educational opportunities solely because they are transgender girls, even though they have no physiological or biological advantage in sports,” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says sports are a source of joy and social connection for both girls, and the new law deprives them of those benefits. Both have lived for years as girls, and the lawsuit says forcing them to compete on boys’ teams would be “painful and humiliating.”

Supporters of the law have said it’s necessary to protect fairness and safety in girls’ sports. But the lawsuit says both girls are receiving hormone treatments, meaning they won’t go through testosterone-driven male puberty or get the athletic advantages associated with it.

The state Attorney General’s office says it’s reviewing the lawsuit and will respond as appropriate.

This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. It was originally published by New Hampshire Public Radio.