Players reportedly wore “PGS”, short for “Protect Girls’ Sports”, under their eyes during matches in protest.
A trans-identified male teen has quit his high school girls' soccer team and dropped his lawsuit after teammates and opposing players protested his participation, just days after the US Supreme Court upheld state laws reserving girls' sports for biological females.
The legal battle centered on New Hampshire's 2024 law barring biological males from competing in girls' school sports. Although the law was temporarily blocked by a federal judge while litigation continued, the Supreme Court's recent decision in Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. upheld similar state protections, prompting the families behind the New Hampshire challenge to withdraw their lawsuits.
One of the plaintiffs, Parker Tirrell, stopped playing girls' soccer during the season after growing controversy surrounding his participation. According to his parents, Tirrell felt that "soccer wasn't just about the game anymore" as protests intensified. His father described a "palpable tension" around matches, while his mother said Tirrell no longer found playing enjoyable.
The controversy erupted after members of at least one opposing girls' team refused to take the field against Tirrell. Other players reportedly wore "PGS", short for "Protect Girls' Sports", under their eyes during matches in protest, as a stand against policies allowing biological males to compete in female sports.
Esteemed author and gender critic Helen Joyce echoed that sentiment, writing on X, "This isn't bullying, it's resistance against injustice." The Supreme Court effectively ended the legal pathway that had allowed Tirrell and another transgender student to continue competing under a federal injunction. The second plaintiff's case had already become largely moot after relocating out of New Hampshire.
Tirrell's parents dispute the row, saying they hope he will return to playing soccer in the future, while also continuing to advocate on transgender issues. The ruling is expected to have nationwide implications as states continue implementing laws restricting girls' and women's sports to biological females, following President Donald Trump's executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports."
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