Two New Hampshire high school student-athletes are suing the state over new restrictions on transgender students participating on certain sports teams.
Under the new law, which Republican governor Chris Sununu signed last month, students can only play in sports aligned with the gender listed on their birth certificate, not how they identify, according to reporting by Portland, Maine, CBS affiliate WGME.
In their lawsuit against the state, the two transgender students are saying the law violates their constitutional rights.
One of them says she's taken hormone blockers during puberty and doesn't have any unfair advantage resulting from the fact she was assigned as male at birth.
“I've gotten to where I am because it's been 11 years of commitment to a sport I love," said Parker Tirrell, a transgender student-athlete, as reported by WGME. "It's not because I have any sport of biological advantage, it's because I'm committed to the sport,”
“We just want our kid to have a normal high school experience like everyone else, and so we're just really trying hard to make sure that's a possibility for Parker,” said Sara Tirrell, Parker’s mother.
In a statement after signing the law, governor Sununu said, "It ensures fairness and safety in women's sports by maintaining integrity and competitive balance in athletic competitions."
The New Hampshire attorney general's office told WGME that it is reviewing the lawsuit.
