Students Withdraw Challenge to New Hampshire Sports Ban

Parker Tirrell and Iris Turmelle, with their parents, voluntarily withdrew their lawsuit, Tirrell and Turmelle v. Edelblut, their federal challenge to New Hampshire’s law categorically banning transgender girls from playing school sports.

GLAD Law, which represented Parker, Iris and their families with ACLU of New Hampshire, issued the following statement from Chris Erchull, GLAD Law Senior Staff Attorney, today:

“This decision reflects the realities facing our clients Parker Tirrell and Iris Turmelle, whose lives have changed significantly since we filed this case and whose experiences highlight the harm caused by laws that single out transgender youth simply because of who they are.

“Over the years of litigation, Parker Tirrell endured sideline protests, attacks on social media, and relentless scrutiny simply because she wanted to play soccer with her classmates and friends. Her love of the game was overshadowed by political and legal battles no child should be drawn into. Not wanting to drag her team down, Parker ultimately quit playing. Iris Turmelle and her family left New Hampshire after the wave of proposed laws targeting transgender Granite Staters, several of which have been enacted, made remaining in the state untenable.

The recent Supreme Court ruling in West Virginia v. B.P.J. has also changed the legal landscape by giving states greater latitude to exclude transgender girls from school sports. Against that backdrop, Parker and Iris, with the support of their families, are moving forward with their lives.

This case was always about two courageous young girls who simply wanted the same opportunities as their peers to participate in school life. Their willingness to stand up to extraordinary hostility made clear the human cost of laws that target transgender youth. While this particular case is ending, GLAD Law will never retreat from the principle that every child—including transgender children—deserves the opportunity to belong, participate, and thrive.

Politicians have repeatedly singled out transgender youth for exclusion, including through restrictions on school sports and access to medically necessary health care. These laws do not make children safer or sports fairer. They instead isolate and stigmatize a small and vulnerable group of young people.

GLAD Law will continue working to ensure transgender youth in New Hampshire and beyond are treated with dignity and have meaningful opportunities to participate in the life of their schools and communities.”