On July 1, 2024, Girls who play school sports thought they would finally be protected from being forced to play against boys. That safety net was taken away by an NH judge on August 19th, who decided that this boy could still play on the Plymouth Girls High School Soccer team while a parent lawsuit worked its way through the courts.
Thanks to Nancy Biederman for sharing this story – Send yours to steve@granitegrok.com
At an August 28th meeting, the Kearsarge School Board, which initially followed the new state law (HB1205), let a boy play goalie on the girls’ soccer team. I don’t believe Kearsarge made any other school aware of their decision, so the other girls’ soccer teams had no idea that Kearsarge was allowing a boy to play since they believed every school would follow the new law when it became active on July 1st. The judge did not stay; they made a very narrow exception.
On August 30th, unbeknownst to many, four Merrimack Valley High School (MHVS) starters did not play in protest against a boy being allowed to play for Plymouth. Three stood near the end line (not by the team bench), and another stayed home. Merrimack Valley tied Plymouth, a game that they should have won easily.
On September 5th, when Kearsarge played Campbell High, no one was aware of the boy being allowed to play as goalie. One parent of a Campbell player was shocked to learn his daughter’s team played against a boy. He said they finally understood why their team couldn’t score one goal. Campbell ended up with a tie game against Kearsarge (0-0). Campbell’s record right now is 12-1-1. It should be 13-1. Their only loss so far this season was to Gilford (15-0).
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On September 19, a few Bow parents quietly supported the girls on the soccer team by wearing XX wristbands when they played against Plymouth. The Bow administration decided to file a no-trespass order against these parents. After going to court, the parents were allowed back on the field. A lawsuit is pending against the district. This story will be played out in the courts at a later date.
On October 1st, Hillsboro-Deering Girls Soccer team was scheduled to play against Kearsarge. Word had gotten out and 5 varsity girls decided to not play against a boy. HDHS sent junior varsity players and lost 5-0. This should have been a win for them.
Today, October 18th, Bishop Brady was scheduled to play against Kearsarge. After a team meeting and discussion, the Bishop Brady girls’ soccer team decided not to play against the Kearsarge team. These girls decided to stand up and say NO! They are BOYcotting the game and making a stand.
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Some would say, “What’s the big deal?” But at high school age, boys are taller and heavier than girls, even when they are the same height. Boys can also jump 12 to 18 inches higher. That’s why boys’ hurdles are taller than girls’ hurdles, and the boys’ volleyball net is nearly a foot taller.
I witnessed this boy’s extra abilities many times when Kearsarge played against the Hopkinton girls’ soccer team. One mother told me that Hopkinton should have scored four more goals than they did against Kearsarge. (Hopkinton won 3-1.) Some parents were aware of the boy, but many were not. It was wonderful to see the Hopkinton boys’ soccer team stay after their practice was over to root for the girls’ team.
We still need to speak up and stop this boy from playing. Kearsarge’s last two scheduled games are 10/22 against Sanborn and 10/25 against Newfound.
Please reach out to your school district and support GIRLS sports! #XX
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Edited for clarification after publication. The four MVHS girls boycotting the game were not near the team bench.
