A Vermont Christian school that is barred from participating in the state sports league after it withdrew its high school girls basketball team from a playoff game because a transgender student was playing on the opposing team has taken its case to a federal appeals court.
Mid Vermont Christian School, of Quechee, forfeited the Feb. 21, 2023, game, saying it believed that the transgender player jeopardized “the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.”
The executive council of the Vermont Principals’ Association, which governs school sports and activities, ruled the following month that the school had violated the council’s policies on race, gender and disability awareness, and therefore was ineligible to participate in future games.
I wonder how many of those girls were excited to compete until some adult pulled them out because of the No Good Very Bad Unfair Unsafe Trans Girl. While I don’t doubt there are teenage transphobes, most of the teenagers I went to school with (Catholic school) or know tangentially have way bigger problems, like zits and algebra homework.
All because the school was afraid of some trans girl, who statistically speaking, probably wasn’t even one of their best players. The school’s transphobia did presumably hurt the trans student they targeted, but I’m guessing they hurt a lot more cis female athletes, on their own team especially. I hope any of those students who may have been transphobic see how it hurt them more than the trans student, and it gets them thinking…