New Hampshire high school BANS PARENTS from girls' soccer games for wearing XX armbands to protest trans players in girls' sports

Parents of high school athletes in New Hampshire have been banned from attending their daughters’ soccer games over the wearing of pink armbands with "XX" written on them in protest of the inclusion of biological males on female sports teams.

According to the NH Journal, several parents showed up to the Tuesday night soccer game between Bow High School and Plymouth Regional High School sporting the armbands. Several parents had previously raised the issue to the school’s athletic director, Mike Desilets, about their Bow students competing against a team with a biological male on the roster. The parents had been told there was nothing they could do after a federal judge in New Hampshire had blocked the state from enforcing its ban on biological males in female sports.

At the Tuesday night game, officials stopped the game, demanded that the armbands be removed, and issued "No Trespassing" orders against at least two parents.

One parent, Anthony Foote, told the outlet, "My daughter’s playing in the homecoming game this weekend, and I’m banned until the 23rd. I can’t watch her play in homecoming — which is ridiculous."

Foote was issued an order, signed by Superintendent of Schools Marcy Kelley, stating, "You are hereby prohibited from entering the buildings, grounds and property of the Bow School District. You are also prohibited from attending any Bow School District athletic or extra-curricular [sic] event, on or off school grounds."

The order claimed that this no trespassing prohibition was because of Foote’s "conduct during the girls varsity soccer game on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. Specifically, prior to and during the soccer game [Foote] brought and distributed pink armbands to parents and other attendees to protest the participation of a transgender female student on the other team."

"You participated and led the protest, which was designed to and had the effect of intimidating, threatening, harassing, and discouraging that student from playing," the order continued.

The order also stated that the armbands violate school policy "that no person shall ‘impede, delay, disrupt or otherwise interfere with any school activity.’ The District had to obtain additional police presence to ensure order. The District had to order you to remove the armbands and as a result of your ‘protest’ and other actions, play was temporarily stopped."

Foote denied that there was any other "protest" other than quietly wearing the armbands, and that the complaining parents caused the disruption, not those who were wearing the armbands. The NH Journal stated that Foote provided them with footage from the game, which showed "no disruptive actions such as shouting, chanting, marching, sign-waving, etc. Parents and fans are sitting in chairs or standing along the sidelines. The only activity was some parents complaining about the pink armbands."

Foote was served with the no trespass order on Thursday, and he said that another parent, Kyle Fellers, also received an order.

The biological male player in question on the opposing team is Parker Tirrell. Tirrell and another transgender athlete filed a lawsuit against the state over the "Fairness in Women’s Sports Act" signed into law by Governor Chris Sununu in July. An emergency motion was granted in late August allowing Tirrell to play soccer in the current season.

Foote said, "I don’t care what Parker wants to do with his life. What I do care about is that my daughter could be physically hurt, maybe not by Parker because he’s not the biggest kid on the field. But there’s a chance that next time will be different."