Vermont school forfeits state tournament game, refusing to play against transgender athlete

By Carolyn Sistrand

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    HARTFORD, Vermont (WPTZ) — A Vermont high school girls basketball team forfeited a state tournament game last week because they did not want to play against a transgender athlete.

Mid Vermont Christian School was set to take on Long Trail School on Feb. 21 until MVCS backed out. Long Trail moved on to play Arlington Memorial but lost.

Head of School for MVCS Vicky Fogg responded to their decision in an email:

“We withdrew from the tournament because we believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players. Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”

Requests to speak with Long Trail administration and the Board of Trustees have gone unanswered.

The Vermont Principals’ Association executive director Jay Nichols spoke with NBC5 via email on Tuesday:

“In response to recent news of a Vermont school opting to forfeit a basketball game in this year’s tournament, the VPA reiterates its support for each student. We refer you to VPA’s Policy on Gender Identity which supports transgender student-athletes. A portion from the policy reads:

“The VPA is committed to providing all students with the opportunity to participate in VPA activities in a manner consistent with their gender identity as is outlined in the Vermont Agency of Education Best Practices For Schools For Transgender And Gender Nonconforming Students. Vermont’s Public Accommodations Act (9 V.S.A. 4502) and VPA 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.”

Vermont’s LGBTQ+ Youth resource center Outright Vermont executive director Dana Kaplan commended the VPA for their allyship in these situations.

“This is a real individual, this is real teammates, this is a real school,” Kaplan said. “These are young people trying to be kids, play sports be engaged in their school. Something like this happens and it creates an incredible burden on the young person who’s at the center of the harm, at the school, at the teammates. It’s really hard to continue to move forward and live your life as a kid in this kind of situation.”

Kaplan said that they’ve mobilized their resources south of their Burlington office in order to assist anyone impacted by this situation.

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