A Christian school in Vermont forfeited a girls high school basketball game and exited the state tournament rather than play an opponent with a transgender athlete on the team.
Vermont law allows boys who claim they are girls to play on girls’ sports teams.
However, the Mid Vermont Christian School in White River Junction decided to pull its basketball team from the Division IV state tournament rather than play Long Trail on Tuesday, according to Valley News.
“We believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players,” MVCS head of school Vicky Fogg said in an email to the outlet.
“Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”
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Lauren Thomas, the assistant executive director for the Vermont Principals’ Association, said she was aware of the withdrawal but did not comment on the specific case.
“I have received calls (from schools) asking for best practices and how to go forward knowing they were going to play a team with a transgender female on it,” Thomas said, according to Valley News. “We just supported our stance and our best practices through our inclusivity statement.”
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In 2022, MVCS filed a letter with the state Agency of Education saying it could not comply with all state edicts.
“As a religious organization, the school has a statutory and constitutional right to make decisions based on its religious beliefs, including hiring and disciplining employees, associating with others, and in its admissions, conduct and operations policies and procedures,” Fogg wrote.
“By signing this form, the Mid Vermont Christian School does not waive any such rights,” she wrote.
To the extent state laws conflict with the school’s beliefs, “including on marriage and sexuality, the school has not included that language in its handbook or online, nor can…
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