CONCORD, N.H. (AP) 鈥� Two transgender girls who were President Donald Trump鈥檚 executive order, 鈥淜eeping Men Out of Women鈥檚 Sports,鈥� have withdrawn their lawsuit in New Hampshire based on a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld state bans on transgender athletes in girls’ sports and their own personal hardships, their lawyer said.
鈥淭his case was always about two courageous young girls who simply wanted the same opportunities as their peers to participate in school life,鈥� their lawyer, Chris Erchull of GLAD Law, said in a statement Thursday. 鈥淭heir willingness to stand up to extraordinary hostility made clear the human cost of laws that target transgender youth.鈥�
The teenagers, Parker Tirrell and Iris Turmelle, , amending their 2024 complaint against New Hampshire’s law on banning transgender girls from school sports. A federal judge had granted a as the case proceeded.
For Tirrell, it meant being able to keep playing on her high school girls鈥� soccer team. For Turmelle, it was having a chance to try out for different sports.
Both sides agreed to pause the case and wait for a ruling from the Supreme Court as it considered similar state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school and college athletic teams in Idaho and West Virginia. Last month, . It also said that barring transgender girls and women doesn鈥檛 run afoul of the federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.
One teen and her family decided to move from New Hampshire
Turmelle and her family moved out of New Hampshire last summer following proposed legislation against transgender people. One measure signed into law by Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte last year prohibits medical professionals from providing puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy to new transgender patients under age 18.
鈥淭hough there may be a carve-out for people already receiving gender-affirming care, that is way too close a call for us to risk staying,鈥� Turmelle’s mother, Amy Manzetti, wrote in an op-ed piece at the time. 鈥淥ther New Hampshire laws also seek to erase her.鈥�
Most Republican-controlled states in the past five years have adopted laws or policies limiting gender-affirming care for transgender minors and limiting which school bathrooms transgender people can use, as well as sports restrictions. The Williams Institute at UCLA estimates that about 3% of youth ages 13 to 17 identify as transgender.
鈥淭he challenges with relocation are significant and burdensome 鈥� this includes having to find new employment, buying and selling homes, packing and moving possessions, integrating kids with a new school system, losing access to longstanding family and friends, and potential loss of income,鈥� Corinne Goodwin, the executive director of Eastern PA Trans Equality Project in Pennsylvania, said in an email.
“But these families do so because they love their kids and know that supporting them with the care and opportunities they need is critical to their long-term success and happiness.鈥�
The other teen gave up playing soccer at high school
Tirrell, 17, began her junior year last fall on the girls’ junior varsity soccer team. Things were fine at first, and each time she scored a goal, she got a round of ice cream from her parents. But a few weeks into the season, she decided to stop playing.
鈥淲ith all of the political stuff going on, soccer wasn’t just about the game anymore,鈥� her mother, Sara Tirrell, told The Associated Press in an interview.
It became more about preparing for the possibility of conflict.
鈥淲ere there any local Facebook groups where they were sort of agitating about potential protests and how do we prepare, and what are we walking into, and we never kind of knew,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were on a lot of pins and needles, especially after the previous season.”
She was referring to a controversy at an away game where two dads from an opposing team from school grounds for wearing pink wristbands marked 鈥淴X鈥� to represent female chromosomes. They sued the school district and a . They have appealed their case.
Last fall, there was an increased presence of school administrators at the games and bus drivers pulled in closer to the field so the students weren鈥檛 in the parking lot, she said.
鈥淧arker didn鈥檛 talk about it a lot, but I think she could see that stress for everybody 鈥� for her, for her teammates, for her coaches,鈥� Sara Tirrell said. “She felt kind of bad about pulling them all into that circus again. And so she ultimately said, 鈥楾his isn鈥檛 fun anymore and I don鈥檛 want to do it.鈥欌��
Parker鈥檚 father described the atmosphere as 鈥減alpable tension.鈥�
Even playing on her own turf, 鈥渢here would typically be a couple of police officers at the home games where there weren鈥檛 previously,鈥� Zach Tirrell said.
In the past, Parker also played soccer in a recreation league and could still do so.
鈥淏ut I think it all kind of still sort of weighs on her,鈥� her mother said. “It’s the same group of kids that she plays with who, honestly, have been very supportive and love to have her on the team and have expressed that to her many times over. But I think she still has that worry in her brain around, 鈥榃hat are other people going to say and do if I show up at a game?鈥欌��
Parker’s parents hope she’ll return to playing soccer some day. In the meantime, 鈥渟he plans to be around and use her voice to continue standing up to discrimination,鈥� her mother said. 鈥淚n some ways she鈥檚 had to grow up a lot faster than some of her peers.鈥�
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Associated Press reporter Geoff Mulvihill in Haddonfield, New Jersey, contributed to this article.
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