New Hampshire dads who protested transgender athletes by wearing pink wristbands score court victory

Concord, N.H. (AP) — Two fathers who opposed allowing transgender athletes to participate in high school sports have won a court victory, granting them permission to wear pink wristbands marked "XX" during games, according to a federal judge's order on Thursday. The lawsuit, filed by Kyle Fellers and Anthony Foote, concluded a two-year legal battle.

The fathers were initially barred from school grounds for wearing the wristbands to a 2024 soccer game featuring a transgender girl on the opposing team. U.S. District Court Judge Steven McAuliffe ruled that the men possess a First Amendment right to silently display the wristbands, stating that school officials violated their rights.

A settlement agreement between the district and the Institute for Free Speech, which represented the plaintiffs, allocated $225,000 to the Institute and $50,000 to the fathers' attorney. Each father received $17.91, symbolizing the year states ratified the First Amendment.

Fellers expressed his gratitude, stating, "It took more than two years, but the court has recognized that what happened to us was wrong." School officials argued that the district had a responsibility to shield students from potential harassment by adults on school grounds. They also claimed that Foote referred to himself as a "real leader" who was prepared to take action and that another parent overheard discussions about heckling the transgender athlete.

Both fathers testified that they did not intend to harass or target the player. The court had previously prohibited the men from wearing the wristbands during the litigation, but a subsequent federal appeals court ruled in their favor. Attorney Endel Kolde of the Institute for Free Speech emphasized that "parents don't surrender their First Amendment rights when they walk into a high school soccer game."

The school district's attorney declined to comment on the matter.