A New Hampshire town is torn over the local school district’s response to two men’s protest against a transgender athlete.
Anthony Foote and Kyle Fellers showed up to a girls’ high school football game in Bow on September 17, wearing pink armbands with the letters “XX” – a reference to the chromosomes associated with biological females – in a silent protest against a transgender athlete on the other side. team.
Bow School District officials then stopped the game and removed the two fathers, later issuing them a trespassing order on school grounds. reports the New Hampshire Journal.
Superintendent Marcy Kelley told them that wearing the bracelets violates the school’s policy against “threatening, intimidating, or harassing… any person,” as well as the policy “that no person shall” obstruct, delay, disrupt any school activity or otherwise disrupt. .”‘
Some in the city applauded the school district’s response, but others have expressed support for the two fathers, arguing that the school district violated their First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
Anthony Foote (pictured) showed up to a girls’ soccer game on September 17 wearing pink armbands with the letters ‘XX’ – a reference to the chromosomes associated with biological females – in a silent protest against a transgender athlete on the opposing team
Bow School District Superintendent Marcy Kelley told them that wearing the bracelets violates the school’s policy against “threatening, harassing or intimidating… anyone.”
At another football game in Bow – where no transgender athletes were playing – at least 20 spectators from across the swing state arrived wearing the pink armbands, according to the Concord monitor.
Supporters also called on the superintendent at a Sept. 30 Board of Education meeting to rescind the men’s banning order and issue an apology, with some saying this would help the city save money on legal fees.
“I’m disappointed in all of you,” Bow resident Steve Herbert told the board. “You silenced someone who had a different opinion.
‘There was nothing wrong. There were no voices, there were no mean words. It was not directed at anyone.”
He went on to say that the board member’s actions will be remembered when they seek re-election.
“I don’t think you deserve to be up there,” Herbert said. “So I hope you enjoyed your time on the board.
“I’m personally going to do everything I can to make sure we have unbiased people who can read something as simple as the First Amendment,” he vowed.
Parents and community members spoke out against and supported the protesters at a school board meeting on September 30
Some supporters even wore their own pink armbands to another football match
Others, however, supported the school district’s decision, saying it was harmful to the transgender soccer player on the Plymouth Regional High School girls soccer team.
“My concern is people yelling at someone at the edge of a field, that could be very triggering,” Melynie Klunk said, adding, “It could be very scary for any of those kids because I have to tell you : I didn’t worry about that growing up.’
Alex Zerba, the parent of a girls soccer player, also said she and the other parents don’t want Fellers and Foote to support our girls like you do.
“We ask you to stop protesting,” she said at the board meeting. “It hurts our girls.”
“This is not the right way to do things,” Zerba continued. ‘If you have a problem with a transgender person [person] in a team, discuss this with your legislators.’
Foote and another man who protested, Kyle Fellers, were banned from school grounds in the aftermath
Instead, Fellers, Foote and his wife Nicole are now suing the school district, accusing it of suppressing their constitutional rights.
They hope to get a federal judge to stop the school from unconstitutionally using school policies to restrict what they describe as non-disruptive expressions of their political or social views. WMUR reports.
“They would like to wear this wristband to express themselves silently but visibly, but they cannot do that now because they do not want to risk being excluded from the football matches,” their lawyer, Del Kolde, told the local news station.
“And it puts them in a position that is unfair and unconstitutional.”
Foote’s trespassing order was lifted on September 21, but Fellers’ order will remain in effect until the end of the fall sports season.