Christian Girls Basketball Team Forfeits Over Transgender Player
A Vermont Christian school decided to forfeit a state high school playoff game rather than have its girls compete with an opponent who claimed to be a girl. State law allows athletes to suit up and play as whichever of the two genders they identify as.
But Mid Vermont Christian School of White River Junction chose to pull its girls basketball team from the Division IV field instead of playing Long Trail on Tuesday.
MVCS school head Vicky Fogg told Valley News in an email that the institution “believe(s) playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.”
The 6’1” biological male player in question is nicknamed “Not in This House” for his ability to block shots of female opponents.
Fogg added that permitting biological boys to play in girls sports “sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”
The Vermont Principals Association would not comment on the specific case, but Lauren Thomas, the assistant executive director, noted that she was aware of MVCS’ withdrawal.
She said she had been contacted by schools asking about “best practices” and how to handle playing a team with a “transgender female” on the roster. She said the group simply reiterated its stance and pointed towards its “inclusivity statement.”
This is hardly the first shot across the bow from MVCS that it will not march in lockstep with the state’s woke initiatives.
Last year, the school filed a letter with Vermont’s Agency of Education detailing that it would not be aligned with every state initiative. MVCS leaders said that, as a religious organization, “the school has a statutory and constitutional right to make decisions” based on its beliefs.
It listed activities such as hiring, employee discipline, association with others, admissions, conduct, and operating policies and procedures as areas where it may not follow all state edicts.
Fogg informed the state that in areas where Vermont law clashes with the institution’s beliefs, the school does not include that language “in its handbook or online.” She noted marriage and personal relationships as disagreeable aspects of the Vermont Public Accommodations Act.
