Parker Tirrell, 16, from New Hampshire, loves playing soccer, scrolling through TikTok, attending art class, and working at a pet store. But above all, soccer has been a big part of her life since she was 4 years old. However, things have taken a drastic turn in the last year due to changing laws targeting transgender youth, including a recent executive order from President Donald Trump.
The order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”, was signed on February 5 and aims to prevent transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports. Now, Tirrell and her friend Iris Turmelle, 15, are the first transgender teens to legally challenge the federal order, just months after they successfully sued their state over a similar ban.
“I Just Want to Play Sports Like Everyone Else”
Tirrell said that earlier, life was normal—she was accepted, had a team, and was doing what she loved. Now, she feels unfairly targeted by lawmakers.
“It feels like they just don’t want me to exist,” she said in an interview. “But I’m not going to stop existing just because they don’t want me to.”
Turmelle, who enjoys exploring different sports, said the constant legal battles and restrictions have been stressful and overwhelming.
“So many laws targeting you just for being who you are—it’s exhausting,” she said.
She wants people to understand that transgender individuals are just ordinary human beings.
“We don’t drink blood or hate sunlight. We’re just human, like you,” she said.
Trump Administration’s View on Transgender Participation
President Trump and supporters of the order argue that transgender girls have an unfair advantage and that the ban is needed for fairness and safety in girls’ sports. The executive order uses Title IX, a law meant to protect against sex-based discrimination in schools, to back its view that “sex” means gender assigned at birth.
Many states have passed similar laws, and even some Democrats like California Governor Gavin Newsom have expressed concerns about transgender girls competing in girls’ sports.
A Texas-based group called Female Athletes United is also trying to join the lawsuit to defend the Trump administration’s decision, saying female athletes “cannot compete fairly against biological males.”
Teens Speak Out, Fight Back
Both Tirrell and Turmelle strongly disagree with the idea that they have a physical advantage. Tirrell said she’s less muscular than many other girls on her team, and Turmelle said she didn’t even make the softball team last year.
“If I had an unfair advantage, wouldn’t I be on the team?” Turmelle said.
Despite the ongoing legal battles, both teens continue to testify against bills they believe discriminate against transgender youth. Tirrell also recently spoke out against a bill banning hormone therapy and puberty blockers—which both girls currently take—to prevent male puberty.
Support Amid the Struggles
The girls have received both support and criticism. After a controversial match where two fathers wore pink wristbands marked “XX” (a symbol referencing female chromosomes), some players from the opposing team wrote Tirrell a supportive note that she keeps pinned in her room.
“We think you are so inspiring for continuing, despite all the negativity,” the note read. “You are a great role model for young girls!”
Turmelle, who enjoys Minecraft, collecting minerals, and taking care of her family’s chickens, has now taken up tennis and recently made the girls’ team.
“I just want the freedom to choose. Playing sports makes me feel accepted—and who doesn’t want to feel accepted?”