A Vermont Christian high school lost a girls’ basketball game because the opposing team had a transgender player, the school’s principal said.
Mid Vermont Christian School in Junction was scheduled to play Long Trail School in Dorset on February 21, but the game never happened.
Vicky Fogg, principal of Mid Vermont Christian School, said the team decided not to participate «because we believe that playing an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.»
Long Trail did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
There has been a heated debate for years over the inclusion of transgender athletes with some states like Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia and Texas banning transgender youth from competing in track and field. In Vermont, students may participate in «VPA activities consistent with their gender identity,» according to the Vermont Directors Associationstate governing body for school sports.
in a letter Dated Oct. 5, the association said supporting transgender athletes is «a critical part of building an inclusive community for every student to grow and prosper.»
Fogg said in her statement that she believes «allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.» When she was contacted on Wednesday, the school refused to discuss the matter further.