For months, the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association has defended its policy of allowing student-athletes to decide their gender for the purposes of competing in sports, separate from the athlete’s biological sex.
Its policy has been to “defer to the determination of the student and his or her local school regarding gender identification,” even after the state passed a law banning biological males from girls sports. It called limiting single-sex teams based on a player’s biology “fundamentally unjust.”
But in the wake of NHJournal’s reporting on warnings from the Trump administration’s Department of Education over potential violations of Title IX, the NHIAA suddenly — and quietly — reversed course.
“The NHIAA Council unanimously voted this week to suspend NHIAA By-Law Article II: Section 21,” the group said in a document labeled a “press release” and dated February 14, 2025.
The press release cannot be found on the NHIAA website, and it was not provided to NHJournal despite numerous contacts with the organization. It was, however, given to a concerned parent asking about NHIAA policy, who then made it available to NHJournal.
“Last week, the President issued an Executive Order, which further informs member schools’ obligations with respect to gender-based eligibility determinations, including possible consequences to federal funding,” according to the press release.
“In light of these developments, the NHIAA has consulted with legal counsel and determined that it would be prudent to further clarify the NHIAA’s requirements.”
That “clarification” is a notice added to the NHIAA handbook on Feb. 14, announcing that its policy of allowing athletes to self-identify their gender, separate from their biological sex, has been suspended.
All of this will come as news to at least three biological males hoping to continue competing against women in New Hampshire.
Kearsarge Regional High School sophomore Maelle Jacques, a biological male, took first place in the girls high jump competition last year, beating every female in the NHIAA indoor track and field championship. Jacques is now an intern with the ACLU of New Hampshire and recently signed an advocacy email sent by the organization.
Asked about competing in the future, Jacques told NHJournal that, “for the upcoming track and soccer seasons, I intend to compete (on the girls team) so long as I am allowed to. With the stipulation of which that I asked that my scores for track be automatically disqualified so I can compete with my friends and avoid controversy.”
Jacques also claimed to be “scared for my own safety at meets” in the past.
Parents, on the other hand, were concerned about Jacques’ father Marc attending the meets. He had been convicted of possessing child porn but was still allowed on school grounds to watch students compete. After he was arrested for a second child porn charge, he was incarcerated.
The update claims this has been NHIAA policy since New Hampshire passed the “Protect Women’s Sports Act” in 2023. However, the NHIAA continued to allow biological males to participate on girls’ teams after the law was passed.
Two other biological males, Parker Tirrell and Iris Turmelle, are challenging the Protect Women’s Sports Act in court. A federal judge has issued an injunction in their cases. After the Trump executive order was announced, their attorneys amended the lawsuit to challenge the federal order as well.
“Since 1947, the NHIAA has made progress in organizing, supervising, and coordinating a statewide athletic program,” according to the organization’s website.
