Worthy Christian News > Christian > Vermont: Christian school suspended from regional sporting events after refusing to play against biologically male transgender player

Vermont: Christian school suspended from regional sporting events after refusing to play against biologically male transgender player

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A Christian school in Vermont has been told its sports teams are suspended from playing in tournaments because it recently forfeited a girl’s basketball game in protest that the opposing team had a biologically male transgender player, the Christian Post (CP) reports.

The headship of the Mid Vermont Christian School prevented its girl’s basketball team from playing against the Long Trail Mountain Lions in February, asserting that the other team had the unfair advantage of a biological male playing for them, CP reports.

Responding to the MVCS decision to forfeit, the Vermont Principals’ Association said Monday that the school may not participate in upcoming sporting events because it had refused to play the Long Trail Mountain Lions last month, CP reports.

The VPA told the school that its forfeiture amounted to a violation of the Association’s “Commitment to Racial, Gender-Fair, and Disability Awareness” and their “Policy on Gender Identity.”

The VPA’s policy document asserts that member schools must support “an environment in our activities and programs that promotes respect for and appreciation of racial, gender, sexual orientation, religious and ethnic differences, and is disability aware.” Moreover, the VPA said: “The student’s home school will determine the eligibility of a student seeking to participate in interscholastic athletics in a manner consistent with their gender identity where the student’s gender identity does not correspond to their sex assigned at birth.”

In a statement about the decision to forfeit the game last month, Vicky Fogg, head of MVCS, explained: “We withdrew from the tournament because we believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.”