When their daughters’ soccer team was forced to compete against a team with a biological male on the roster, some Bow High School parents were unhappy about it. They complained to the school’s athletic director, Mike Desilets, but were told there was nothing that could be done in the wake of a federal judge’s ruling that the term “girl” includes males who identify as female.
The school and the team could not act, school officials said.
But when several parents showed up to watch Tuesday night’s soccer game between Bow and Plymouth Regional High School wearing pink armbands as symbols of support for girls-only sports, those same officials sprang into action. They stopped the game, demanded the pink armbands be removed, and issued police-enforced “No Trespassing” orders against at least two parents.
“My daughter’s playing in the homecoming game this weekend, and I’m banned until the 23rd,” said Anthony Foote of Bow, N.H. “I can’t watch her play in homecoming — which is ridiculous.”
Foote forwarded a copy of the order to NHJournal.
“You are hereby prohibited from entering the buildings, grounds and property of the Bow School District,” the No Trespass order reads. “You are also prohibited from attending any Bow School District athletic or extra-curricular [sic] event, on or off school grounds.”
Why?
According to the order, it’s because “prior to and during the soccer game [Foote] brought and distributed pink armbands … to protest the participation of a transgender female student on the other team.”
The order, signed by Superintendent of Schools Marcy Kelley, says wearing the pink armbands violates school policy against “threatening, harassing, or intimidating…any person.” Kelley also claims the armbands violate its 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 denies there was any discernible “protest” other than quietly wearing the pink armbands, decorated with “XX” to show support for women. (Females have two X chromosomes.) He says the district did not need to take any action, that he and some likeminded family members simply wore the armbands. He gave NHJournal several videos of the sidelines of the game.
In the videos, there are 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. Those complaining parents, and not the girls sports supporters, caused whatever disruptions that occurred, Foote said.
On the Thursday after the game, Foote was served with the No Trespass order. He said another parent, Kyle Fellers, also received one. Reached late Thursday night, Fellers declined to comment.
Superintendent Kelley and the Bow School District also declined to comment, other than to send NHJournal a copy of the statement they sent to parents.
Anthony Foote’s wife Nicky forwarded NHJournal an email from Desilets sent to parents the night before the match warning them about “sportsmanship and sideline behavior.”
“I understand that there are some differing opinions regarding tomorrow’s game, and that is perfectly fine,” Desilets wrote. “Please understand that any inappropriate signs, references, language or anything else present at the game will not be tolerated.”
Foote told NHJournal he had no issue with the individual player on the Plymouth team, Parker Tirrell. He’s worried about the precedent of forcing girls to compete with male athletes, particularly given recent examples of girls being injured in some incidents of a biological mismatch.
“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.”
Earlier this year during a girls’ basketball game in Massachusetts between Lowell Collegiate Charter School and KIPP Academy of Lynn, a bearded 6-foot-tall male KIPP Academy player, who reportedly identifies as female, was caught on video ragdolling a female LCCS player as both competed for a rebound.
That was just one of three girls the player managed to injure before LCCS forfeited the game.
Judge Landya McCafferty”s ruling has settled the question of allowing males to compete as girls for the moment (it’s almost certain to be appealed), but the issue of free speech is not resolved. It’s possible the school’s treatment of these parents violates their First Amendment rights, or that the school district’s interpretation of what is ‘disruptive behavior’ could be viewed by a court as too expansive.
But social pressure may be keeping many local citizens silent already, Foote said.
“Bow is a very blue town, and the people who run things will defend any liberal issue. It’s hard to speak out. But I would say there’s a silent majority. There are firemen, there are police officers, there are teachers from other towns. They don’t agree, but they have to think about their finances. They have to protect their families. They can’t say anything,” Foote said.
