A Catholic school’s girls’ soccer team boycotted a game against a school with a transgender goalkeeper who was allowed to play despite state law restrictions.
Varsity student-athletes from Bishop Brady High School in Concord, New Hampshire, refused to show up for their scheduled game against Kearsarge Regional High School in North Sutton on Friday, according to multiple reports.
The Bishop Brady girls reportedly believed Kearsarge had the advantage because their goalie Maëlle Jacques was a biological male and “boycotted” the game in an effort to “say no to unfair competition,” the Moms for Liberty County group shared. Hillsborough on social media. media.
Jacques, 16, was kicked off the team earlier this year after the Kearsarge school board voted to bring the district into compliance with a new state law banning transgender students from competing in girls’ sports.
But in August the school board ruled she could rejoin the team after she filed a direct appeal, citing a lawsuit that claimed New Hampshire’s sports ban violates federal Title IX measures. A federal court also issued an order last month blocking enforcement of the ban.
Kearsarge is one of two schools in the state with a biological male player competing in women’s sports.
Varsity student-athletes from Bishop Brady High School in Concord, New Hampshire (pictured) refused to show up for their scheduled game against Kearsarge Regional High School in North Sutton on Friday.
The Bishop Brady girls reportedly believed Kearsarge had the advantage because their goalkeeper Maëlle Jacques (pictured) was a biological male and “boycotted” the game in an effort to “say no to unfair competition.”
The Bishop Brady Giants were scheduled to play the Kearsarge Cougars on Friday, but decided to forfeit the game.
Her act of protest received praise from former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines, who was among 16 female athletes who filed a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) after competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
Gaines, an activist fighting for fair competition in women’s sports, praised the Giants’ protest in a tweet, saying: “The varsity girls’ soccer team at Bishop Brady High School in NH resigns and accepts a loss against the team. opponent whose star player is a man.
‘It is the second team in the district to achieve it. This is the way. #Boycott.’
However, the team did not receive the same level of support from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, which supports Bishop Brady.
When Bishop Peter Libasci learned that parents and students could take action against Kearsarge players, he and his legal team drafted a statement opposing the boycott. The NH newspaper reported.
Dave Thibault, superintendent of schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, also urged the girls to play before the game, reportedly citing “Christian charity.”
“We do not believe it is right to simply lose a game when we play on a team with a transgender athlete because we have a problem that is not being handled adequately by another party,” Thibault said in a statement obtained by the newspaper.
But eventually the contest was canceled because several students refused to play.
Jacques, 16, (pictured addressing a New Hampshire state hearing in April 2024) was kicked off the team earlier this year after the Kearsarge school board voted to bring the district into compliance with a new law state banning transgender students from competing in girls’ competitions. sports. But in August the school board ruled she could rejoin the team after she made a direct appeal, citing a lawsuit that claimed New Hampshire’s sports ban violates federal Title IX measures.
The Bishop Brady team’s protest act also received praise from former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines, who applauded them for accepting a “loss against the opposing team whose star player is a man.”
Diocese communications director Tara Bishop reportedly attempted to downplay the boycott, telling NH Journal, “There simply weren’t enough players available for this game.”
Bishop Brady’s parents, in addition to being concerned about Jacques being a biological male, have also expressed concern about his father’s presence at the games.
Marc Jacques is a registered sex offender after being convicted last month on federal charges of distributing child sexual abuse material.
According to court records, he was found in possession of at least 200 images and videos of child sexual abuse, many of which he uploaded to a social media platform.
Marc Jacques was also arrested on Friday for an alleged bail violation and is due in court today for a bail revocation hearing.
Bishop Brady’s boycott comes just two months after a federal judge in New Hampshire ruled that two transgender students could ignore a state law that prohibits them from competing in girls’ and women’s sports at their public high schools.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty in August allowed Parker Tirrell, 15, and Iris Turmelle, 14, who use the pronouns she and her, to participate in women’s sports after their families will file a lawsuit to repeal the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. ‘ (HB 1205).
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed the new law in July, requiring students to play on sports teams that match the sex listed on their birth certificate.
When signing the bill into law, Sununu said it “ensures fairness and safety in women’s sports by maintaining integrity and competitive balance in athletic competitions.”
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty in August allowed Parker Tirrell, 15 (pictured) and Iris Turmelle, 14, who use the pronouns she and her, to participate in women’s sports after their families sued to repeal HB 1205, also known as the ‘Fairness in Women’s Sports Act’
The Tirrell and Turmelle families in their lawsuit alleged that the bill “denies (the couple) equal educational opportunities and discriminates against them solely because they are transgender girls.” In the photo: Iris Turmelle
But the Tirrell and Turmelle families in their lawsuit alleged that the bill “denies (the couple) equal educational opportunities and discriminates against them solely because they are transgender girls.”
He also argued that the ban violated federal law and constitutional guarantees of equal protection, in addition to denying the educational, social, and physical and mental health benefits associated with playing sports. The lawsuit also claims that the ban isolates transgender players from their friends and teammates.
Last month, a federal court blocked the implementation of HB 1205, ruling that the legislation discriminates against transgender students in violation of Title IX and the United States Constitution.
The judge ruled that the bill “on its face discriminates against transgender girls,” adding that it is “not even close.”
The ruling also stated that “the stigma and humiliation that results from such treatment of a child by the State is substantial and irreparable.”