Bow, New Hampshire seems an unlikely place for the next episode of the gender wars to unfold. But thanks to a district superintendent who wants to control how people think, the battle was joined in earnest.
Bow's girl's soccer team was playing a game against Plymouth Regional High School last week despite protests from Bow's parents that one of the Plymouth players was not a biological female.
The parents first tried approaching their school's athletic director. He was very apologetic, telling them his hands were tied. A federal judge had ruled that "the term ‘girl’ includes males who identify as female.”
The parents decided to stage a silent protest. Several of them wore pink wristbands with "XX" printed on them to signify the two "X" chromosomes that biological women carry in their DNA.
Bow, NH public school has banned parents from attending their daughter's games for simply wearing pink XX armbands. This is a First Amendment violation and a slap in the face of women everywhere.
— Moms for Liberty NH (@Moms4LibertyNH) September 20, 2024
@Moms4Liberty @xx_xyathletics @Riley_Gaines_ @JenniferSey pic.twitter.com/dGmVIPmeIF
The Bow School District Superintendent Marcy Kelley acted swiftly. She banned the parents from attending any soccer games or being present on school grounds.
Obviously, the parents (and the rest of the sane world) didn't realize that the parents' protest was violating district policy. Kelley promptly called the police to enforce a "No Trespassing" order against several of the parents who were accused of violating "school policy against ‘threatening, harassing, or intimidating…any person.’” She added “no person shall ‘impede, delay, disrupt or otherwise interfere with any school activity.’”
Oh for Pete's sake. They were wearing fricking armbands! And she called the cops?
“My daughter’s playing in the homecoming game this weekend, and I’m banned until the 23rd,” said Anthony Foote of Bow, N.H. “I can’t watch her play in homecoming — which is ridiculous.”
Mr. Foote gave the letter informing him of his ban to the New Hampshire Journal.
Foote denies there was any discernible “protest” other than quietly wearing the pink armbands, decorated with “XX” to show support for women. (Females have two X chromosomes.) He says the district did not need to take any action, that he and some likeminded family members simply wore the armbands. He gave NHJournal several videos of the sidelines of the game.
In the videos, there are no disruptive actions such as shouting, chanting, marching, sign-waving, etc. Parents and fans are sitting in chairs or standing along the sidelines. The only activity was some parents complaining about the pink armbands. Those complaining parents, and not the girls sports supporters, caused whatever disruptions that occurred, Foote said.
On the Thursday after the game, Foote was served with the No Trespass order. He said another parent, Kyle Fellers, also received one. Reached late Thursday night, Fellers declined to comment.
None of us should be surprised by this. In order to force conformity to the belief that boys can be girls simply by saying so, radical advocates will shatter the First Amendment to do it.
There is no room for opposition, legal though it may be. There isn't even room for opposing thought given that it's punished by small-minded bureaucrats who exercise authority like any fascist would.
When even silent protests are punished, you know that the American experiment in self-government is in deep trouble.
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