A Catholic school’s girls soccer team boycotted a game against a school with a transgender goalkeeper who was allowed to play despite state laws.
Varsity student-athletes from Bishop Brady High School in Concord, New Hampshire refused to show up for their scheduled game against Kearsarge Regional High School in North Sutton on Friday, according to multiple reports.
Bishop Brady’s girls reportedly believed Kearsarge had the advantage because their goalkeeper Maëlle Jacques was a biological male and “boycotted” the game in an effort to “say no to unfair competition,” the Hillsborough-based Moms for Liberty group shared County on social media. media.
Jacques, 16, was banned from the team earlier this year after the Kearsarge school board voted to bring the district into compliance with a new state law that banned transgender students from participating in girls’ sports.
But the school board ruled in August that she could rejoin the team after she filed a direct appeal, citing a lawsuit alleging that New Hampshire’s sports ban violated federal Title IX regulations. A federal court also issued an injunction last month blocking enforcement of the ban.
Kearsarge is one of two schools in the state with a player who is a biological male competing in girls’ sports.
Varsity student-athletes at Bishop Brady High School in Concord, New Hampshire (pictured) refused to appear for their scheduled game against Kearsarge Regional High School in North Sutton on Friday
Bishop Brady’s girls reportedly believed that Kearsarge had the advantage because their goalkeeper Maëlle Jacques (pictured) was a biological male and ‘boycotted’ the game in an attempt to ‘say no to unfair competition’.
The Bishop Brady Giants were scheduled to play the Kearsarge Cougars on Friday, but opted to forfeit the game.
Their protest action was praised by former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines, one of 16 female athletes who filed a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) after competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
Gaines, an activist who fights for fair competition in women’s sports, praised the Giants’ protest in a tweet, saying, “Bishop Brady High School varsity girls soccer team in NH loses and accepts a loss against opposing team whose star player is a man is.
“They’re the second team in the district to do this. This is the way. #Boycott.’
However, the team did not receive the same support from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, which supports Bishop Brady.
When Bishop Peter Libasci learned that parents and students could take action against the Kearsarge players, he and his legal team drafted a statement opposing the boycott. The NH news reported.
Dave Thibault, chief inspector of schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, also urged the girls to play before the match, citing “Christian charity.”
“We do not believe it is right to simply forfeit a match when playing on a team with a transgender athlete because we have a problem that is not being properly handled by another party,” Thibault said in a statement obtained by the newspaper.
But ultimately the competition was canceled because several students refused to play.
Jacques, 16, (pictured at a New Hampshire hearing in April 2024) was banned from the team earlier this year after the Kearsarge school board voted to bring the district into compliance with a new state law that banned transgender students from to participate in girls’ competitions. sport. But the school board ruled in August that she could rejoin the team after she filed a direct appeal, citing a lawsuit alleging that New Hampshire’s sports ban violated federal Title IX regulations.
The Bishop Brady team’s protest was also praised by former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines, who applauded them for accepting a “loss to the other team whose star player is a man.”
The diocese’s communications director, Tara Bishop, reportedly tried to downplay the boycott, telling the NH Journal, “There simply weren’t enough players available for this game.”
Bishop Brady’s parents, in addition to their concerns about Jacques being a biological male, have also expressed concerns about her father’s presence at games.
Marc Jacques is a registered sex offender after being convicted last month on federal charges of distributing child sexual abuse material.
According to court records, he was found in possession of at least 200 images and videos of child sexual abuse, many of which he uploaded to a social media platform.
Marc Jacques was also arrested on Friday for an alleged bail violation and is due in court today for a bail revocation hearing.
Bishop Brady’s boycott comes just two months after a federal judge in New Hampshire ruled that two transgender students could ignore a state law that bars them from participating in women’s and girls’ sports at their public high schools.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty in August allowed Parker Tirrell, 15, and Iris Turmelle, 14 — who both use the pronouns she and her — to participate in women’s sports after their families filed a lawsuit over the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act’. ‘ (HB1205).
Republican Governor Chris Sununu signed the new law in July, which requires students to play on sports teams that correspond to the gender listed on their birth certificate.
When he signed the bill, Sununu said it “ensures fairness and safety in women’s sports by maintaining the integrity and competitive balance in athletic competitions.”
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty in August allowed Parker Tirrell, 15, (pictured) and Iris Turmelle, 14 — who both use the pronouns she and her — to participate in women’s sports after their families filed a lawsuit over HB 1205 to undo. known as the ‘Fairness in Women’s Sports Act’
The Tirrell and Turmelle families claimed in their lawsuit that the bill “denies” [the pair] offers equal educational opportunities and singles them out for discrimination just because they are transgender girls.” In the photo: Iris Turmelle
But the Tirrell and Turmelle families claimed in their lawsuit that the bill “denies” [the pair] offers equal educational opportunities and singles them out for discrimination just because they are transgender girls.”
It also argued that the ban violated federal law and constitutional guarantees of equal protection, and denied the educational, social and physical and mental health benefits associated with playing sports. The lawsuit also alleged that the ban isolates transgender players from friends and teammates.
Last month, a federal court blocked enforcement of HB 1205, ruling that the legislation discriminates against transgender students in violation of Title IX and the U.S. Constitution.
The judge ruled that the bill “prima facie discriminates against transgender girls,” adding that it is “not even close.”
The ruling also stated that “the stigma and humiliation resulting from such treatment of a child by the state is substantial and irreparable.”