Trans Athletes Drop Lawsuit Against New Hampshire Sports Ban

Ryan J. Farrick — July 9, 2026

Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels

The New Hampshire law requires students in grades 5 through 12 to participate in sports and compete on teams on the basis of the biological sex indicated on their birth certificates. It applies to students at all public schools, as well as any private school that competes against public school.

Two student-athletes have dropped a lawsuit against New Hampshire, which in 2024 passed a law prohibiting transgender girls from participating in girls’ school sports.

According to the Concord Monitor, the plaintiffs in the case—students Parker Tirrell and Iris Turmelle, along with their parents—voluntarily agreed to withdraw their complaint on Wednesday afternoon. The decision was announced shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar prohibition against transgender participation in girls’ sports in West Virginia.

Chris Erchull, a senior staff attorney with GLAD Law, said in a statement that the decision “reflects the realities facing our clients.”

“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,” Erchull said. “Her love of the game was overshadowed by political and legal battles no child should be drawn into.”

Supreme Court building. Image via Joe Ravi/Wikimedia Commons. (CCA-BY-3.0).

Tirrell ultimately quit soccer altogether.

“I think that the game wasn’t fun anymore,” Erchull said. “With protestors showing up at games, with opposing teammates not willing to shake her hand at the end of the game, and with the weight of litigation around her neck throughout the years, it was just not fun anymore.”

Turmelle, meanwhile, ended up moving out-of-state to escape harassment.

The Monitor notes that New Hampshire law requires students in grades 5 through 12 to participate in sports and compete on teams on the basis of the biological sex indicated on their birth certificates. The law applies to students at all public schools, as well as any private school that competes against public school.

Erchull claims that these types of laws are largely intended to intimidate non-gender-conforming students.

“What is motivating this kind of legislation … is a desire to target, intimidate, and harm transgender young people,” he said. “Not just because you miss out on a sports opportunity, which is serious enough on its own, but because your entire educational experience is defined by the way that you’re being left out, singled out, and excluded.”

“It’s heartbreaking for these kids,” Erchull said, “and so we’re going to continue working to show that both to the public and the courts.”

Cornerstone, a Christian advocacy group named as a party in the lawsuit, has since praised the decision, casting it as a victory for girls across the state.

“We’re proud to serve as local counsel for Female Athletics United to continue protecting NH girls!” the group wrote on Twitter.