Battling for Free Speech: Parent Challenges School Board on Transgender Athletes
Controversial School Board Faces Legal Action for Disciplining Parent Over 'Tall Boy' Comment Towards Trans Athlete
School boards are under fire for their extreme defense of transgender activism, With the vast majority of Americans vehemently opposing such ideologies, one parent in New Hampshire is taking a stand.
Beth Scaer, a concerned parent, spoke out against male athletes participating in girls' high school sports during a local school board meeting in 2024. After labeling a male athlete a "tall boy," the board thrust her into a heated debate, threatening to kick her out for breaching a policy against "derogatory comments."
During the same meeting, other speakers advocating for the male athlete's participation were given the chance to speak their minds. Clearly, the school board's idea of an acceptable discussion is clouded in bias.
Declining to take the board's actions lying down, Scaer, along with the Institute for Free Speech and local counsel Roy S. McCandless, have taken their fight to federal court. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire, claims that the school board's enforcement of its "derogatory comments" policy is nothing more than a weapon to silence opposing viewpoints.
According to a press release by the Institute for Free Speech, the unwritten rule against "derogatory comments" is being used against citizens with a distinct agenda to censor and silence those expressing opinions on contentious subjects.
When Scaer spoke up in August 2024, Board Chair Alison Mastin halted her speech in seconds and threatened police action if she persisted in referring to the transgender athlete as a male. Conversely, those backing the male athlete's participation in girls' sports were allowed to speak for their full allotted three minutes and show their support through signs.
The suit alleges that the school board's policy is "unreasonable, vague, and overbroad." Nathan Ristuccia, an attorney at the Institute for Free Speech, stated:
Defying New Hampshire's Fairness in Women's Sports Act, the Kearsarge school board has openly supported allowing the male athlete to participate in girls' soccer.
The lawsuit is a significant step towards ensuring that citizens have the right to express their opinions in public forums without the fear of censorship. If the board's unconstitutional practices continue, it could set a dangerous precedent for suppression of free speech across the nation.
Beth Scaer, in an effort to promote education-and-self-development and general-news discourse, has taken her fight to federal court against the Kearsarge school board's policies that she believes stifle free speech. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire, argues that the school's "derogatory comments" policy is a political tool used to silence opposing viewpoints, particularly on contentious subjects such as education-and-self-development and general-news discussions about transgender athletes.
