Transgender girls challenge Trump's ban on competing in female sports

Two transgender girls from New Hampshire Wednesday initiated the first legal challenge to President Donald Trump's executive order that would bar them from participating in female school sports, Reuters reported.

Parker Tirrell, 16, and Iris Turmelle, 15, along with their parents, filed a lawsuit last year against a state law in New Hampshire that would prevent transgender girls from competing in female sports — a measure adopted in various Republican-led states across the nation.

In September, US District Judge Landya McCafferty, appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, granted a preliminary injunction, blocking the enforcement of the law in New Hampshire and its school districts. 

Now, Tirrell and Turmelle are expanding their case to challenge Trump’s executive orders, which state that the US government will only recognise two sexes—male and female—and refuse to acknowledge any sex changes, thereby banning transgender women and girls from participating in female sports.

On Wednesday, the judge allowed them to file an updated complaint.

"School sports are a vital part of education—no child should be denied that opportunity based on who they are," said Chris Erchull, a lawyer for the plaintiffs from GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders.

The plaintiffs argue that Trump's February 5 executive order, as well as an earlier one, discriminates against transgender individuals, violating their constitutional rights to equal protection and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The White House has yet to respond to requests for comment.

In their court filings, the two students said their schools are at risk of losing federal funding, which has left both transgender girls anxious about their education. Tirrell, who plays soccer, and Turmelle, who hopes to try out for tennis this spring, both enjoyed sports in their younger years.

The two girls have stated that they knew from an early age that they were girls and have received puberty-blocking medication and hormone therapy to align their bodies with their gender identities. According to the complaint, neither will undergo testosterone-driven puberty.