Lawmakers Divided Over Bow Pink Armband Protest
In recent weeks, Bow parents who wore pink armbands at soccer games to express their opposition to transgender girls participating on girls’ teams have sparked a heated debate over gender identity in sports and free speech.
At the center of this controversy is whether the Bow School District violated the parents’ First Amendment rights by issuing no-trespass orders against two parents who wore armbands marked with “XX” – a reference to the sex chromosomes typically associated with biological females.
On Tuesday, a federal court rules that one of the parents, Kyle Fellers, who had been banned from attending all games for the season — both home and away — could attend his daughter’s soccer matches.
However, the ruling came with conditions – Fellers is not allowed to protest with signs or armbands or speak to coaches or referees and must comply with school rules.
Two transgender girls — one from Pembroke and the other from Plymouth — are still allowed to play under a court order while their legal challenge against this law is ongoing in federal court.
