Vermont High School Banned From Tournaments After Refusing To Play Against Team With A Transgender Player
A girls' basketball team in a Vermont high school is now banned from participating in future tournaments after refusing to compete against a team with a transgender player.
Mid Vermont Christian School's (MVCS) girls' basketball team is now ineligible to participate in future tournaments for refusing to play against a competing team with a transgender player. The Vermont Principals' Association (VPA) announced this week that the ban will apply to all sports.
"With feedback from membership at large, our Diversity Equity and Inclusion in Activities Committee, and our Activity Standards Committee, The VPA's Executive Council met today, March 13th, 2023, to discuss the relevant forfeiture," writes VPA in an official statement. "The result was a determination that policies have been violated at the school level, thus there is an immediate determination of ineligibility for Mid-Vermont Christian in VPA sanctioned activities and tournaments going forward."
According to VPA, their policies "prohibit discrimination and/or harassment of students on school property or at school functions by students or employees. The prohibition against discrimination includes discrimination based on a student’s actual or perceived sex and gender.”
Mid Vermont Christian School withdrew from the Vermont Division IV girls' basketball state tournament following their refusal to compete in the first round against Long Trail School on February 21, 2023. MVCS head of school Vicky Fogg has written an email to Valley News, stating that playing against a biological male is unfair. "We believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players,” she wrote. "Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”
This announcement comes after USA Powerlifting (USAPL) stated that trans athletes have an "unfair competitive advantage" over biological females due to the physiological and hormonal differences between both genders. "Our position has been aimed at balancing the needs of cis- and transgender women whose capacities differ significantly in purely strength sports," said USAPL President Larry Maile.
Trans powerlifter JayCee Cooper filed a legal complaint against the organization, and a Minnesota District Court ruled USAPL had discriminated against him and trans athletes. USAPL's decision to previously ban Cooper from competing against natural-born women allegedly violated the state's Human Rights Act. USAPL is now being forced to allow trans athletes in its tournaments, but they are planning to appeal the decision.
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