Por Renan Filho · 2026-11-06**Lead**
A New Hampshire school district has agreed to pay $275,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a father who was banned from a youth soccer game for wearing a wristband that displayed the chromosomal designation 'XX' — a symbol commonly associated with female biology. The settlement, approved last month, stems from an incident at a middle school soccer match in the fall of 2024, when district officials ordered Jackson Thompson, the father of a player, to remove the wristband or leave the premises. Thompson refused and was subsequently escorted out, leading to a First Amendment and equal protection lawsuit that has drawn national attention to the intersection of genetics, gender identity, and school policies.
**Contexto**
The wristband in question featured the letters 'XX' in bold black type on a white silicone band — a direct reference to the female chromosomal pair found in typical human females. Thompson, whose daughter was a player on the team, said he wore the band to express his support for biological sex distinctions in athletics, particularly in light of ongoing debates about transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports. School officials, however, argued that the wristband violated a district policy prohibiting symbols or messages deemed “divisive” or “potentially harassing” to transgender and nonbinary students.
The incident occurred during a regular-season soccer game at a public school field in the town of Merrimack, New Hampshire. According to court documents obtained by FORTIS NEWS, Thompson was approached by a game official and later by a school administrator, who told him the wristband could be interpreted as a statement against transgender inclusion. When Thompson refused to remove it, claiming his free speech rights, the administrator called for a security officer to remove him from the premises. Thompson’s daughter was allowed to continue playing, but the father was barred from attending future games unless he agreed to refrain from wearing any “controversial” accessories.
The school district — the Merrimack School District — initially defended its action, citing a 2023 board policy that prohibited “displays or attire that target protected characteristics, including gender identity or expression.” The policy was enacted after a series of heated school board meetings over the district’s transgender athlete participation rules. However, after Thompson filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire, the district quickly moved to settle rather than litigate the constitutional questions. The $275,000 settlement covers Thompson’s legal fees and damages, and the district has agreed to revise its policy to clarify that “non-inflammatory references to biological sex” do not constitute harassment.
**Analise**
The Merrimack settlement is the latest in a growing wave of legal battles across the United States that pit free speech and biological science against school policies aimed at protecting transgender students. At its core, the case revolves around a simple genetic symbol: the XX chromosome pair. While XX is a standard biological designation taught in high school biology textbooks, its public display in a school sports setting has become a flashpoint. Advocates for transgender rights argue that such symbols can be used to “other” and stigmatize transgender girls, who may have XY chromosomes but identify as female. Opponents counter that chromosomal reality is not hate speech, and that schools have no right to censor scientific facts.
The settlement’s implications extend far beyond New Hampshire. Legal experts note that the district’s willingness to pay a six-figure sum rather than defend its policy in court signals a recognition that blanket bans on biological symbols may be difficult to uphold under the First Amendment. The revised policy, which now explicitly permits “neutral references to biological sex,” could serve as a template for other districts navigating the same terrain. Yet the controversy is unlikely to fade. Several other lawsuits are pending in states such as Texas, Florida, and California, where parents have been barred from wearing “XX” or “XY” wristbands, T-shirts, and pins at school events.
From a scientific perspective, the case highlights a fundamental tension: biological sex is a complex, multi-layered reality that includes chromosomes, gonads, hormones, and anatomy. The XX/XY binary is a simplification that holds true for the vast majority of humans, but it does not account for intersex variations or the lived experience of transgender individuals. The school district’s original policy attempted to sidestep this complexity by banning any display that could be seen as targeting gender identity. But the settlement suggests that courts may draw a line between factual science and targeted harassment — a line that will continue to be tested in school gymnasiums and courtrooms across the country.
**Fontes**
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire, *Thompson v. Merrimack School District*, Case No. 1:24-cv-00487 (settlement approved October 2026). - Merrimack School District Policy 523.1 — “Student and Visitor Expression on Gender Identity” (2023, revised 2026). - Public records from the New Hampshire Department of Education regarding school district settlements. - Statements from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Hampshire, which provided legal representation to the school district during initial negotiations. - Expert commentary from Dr. Sarah Richardson, professor of the history of science at Harvard University, on the biology of sex chromosomes (archived lecture, 2025).
FORTIS NEWS reached out to both the Merrimack School District and Jackson Thompson for comment. The district’s attorney issued a brief statement confirming the settlement and noting that the policy revision was intended to “balance the rights of all students and families.” Thompson’s lawyer declined to provide further details, citing a confidentiality clause in the settlement agreement.