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.”
It’s about time. https://t.co/DkO3fP16GK
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) February 25, 2023
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 it affirm that particular aspect of the Vermont Public Accommodations Act,” Fogg said.
In an Op-Ed in the Vermont Daily Chronicle, fitness expert Aaron Warner praised the school’s decision, saying there is no question in his mind that Rose Johnson, Long Trail’s transgender player, is “a biological male in how he moves, runs, jumps and produces force.”
Warner said Johnson’s nickname is “Not in This House” because of his prowess in blocking shots.
DORSET — Long Trail’s Rose Johnson controlled the opening tip of Tuesday night’s girls basketball game against Mill River and deflected it to a teammate who immediately found Molly Luikart for a layup on the left side of the basket. The opening sequ… https://t.co/ceAgm5OzVj
— Bennington Banner (@banner_news) February 1, 2023
“In one game he had seven blocked shots. That means seven shots, typically closer to the basket so much more likely to go in, were blocked by the guy who is taller than every other girl on the floor, can jump higher and likely is significantly stronger,” Warner wrote. “In what world is this even remotely fair to other Vermont Division IV girls?”
He wrote that “the bantam Davids at MVCS are not to be demoralized. A story about standing up to giants reminds them who they ultimately serve.”
“Rather than participate and enable both delusion and danger they do what Christians do best,” Warner wrote. “They took a knee, said no thank you. Not in the house of the Lord.”
He said the facts on the Christian school’s side.
“As a professional coach and strength and fitness expert I happen to understand this situation better than most,” Warner wrote. “The field of exercise science, as much as biology, is where the discussion about trans-athletes should begin and end.
“The current ‘woke’ argument claims biology exists on a spectrum and that a person’s feelings about their identity trump their biological fingerprints. To be clear, there is no spectrum. There are no mutli-chromosomal pairings in humans, or any other mammals for that reason, so the pseudo-scientific claims made by the pretend scientists are Lysenkoism in drag.
“If you go to the animal kingdom you will not find male lions, hyenas, elephants, porpoises, dogs or monkeys manufacturing feminine hybrids. Humans are mammals and, like our inferior creatures, the biology is stark. One need only look at a mammal for a few seconds to know which sex they are.”
In spite of whatever biological advantage Long Trail had, it lost 45-26 to Arlington Memorial in the second round of the playoffs on Friday.
