15-year-old Parker Tirrell will be allowed to play soccer on her high school’s girls team, at least for now, after a federal judge extended a temporary order Tuesday.
The decision comes after the families of two trans teens, Tirrell and 14-year-old Iris Turmelle, filed a lawsuit earlier this month in an attempt to overturn the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. The legislation was signed into effect by Republican Governor Chris Sununu last month and requires students in grades 5-12 to participate in sports that correspond to their sex assigned at birth.
Tirrell successfully sought a temporary executive order to begin soccer practice with her team on August 19. When the order expired Tuesday, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty extended the order for another two weeks through September 10.
McCafferty will also consider a broader preliminary order to block New Hampshire from enforcing the law while the case proceeds.
Turmelle, who attends a different school in the state, is hoping to participate in the winter track in December. McCafferty has raised the possibility of the case going to trial this fall before Turmelle’s season begins, but she has not assigned any protections from the law so far.
“As soon as Iris walks into school next week, she’s going to be suffering harm because of the way this law impacts her,” said Chris Erchull, an attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders representing the students, at a press conference. “She has no guarantees that she will be able to participate in school sports this year.”
Tirrell and Turmelle have been medically diagnosed with gender dysphoria and say participating in boys team would be “painful and humiliating”, according to the lawsuit. The girls both experienced an early implementation of hormones, meaning they never have and never will experience male puberty.
The lawsuit names New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut, Chair of the State Board of Education Andrew Cline, six members of the State Board, and multiple other education officials as defendants.
