Vermont: Christian High School Sues over Ban from Athletic Events After Forfeiting Match Against Transgender Athlete

A Christian high school in Vermont has filed a lawsuit against state officials to fight against a ban from all athletic and academic events after its girls’ basketball team forfeited a match against a team with a transgender player.

“Mid Vermont Christian School says they were barred from all athletic play after forfeiting against a Long Trail girls high school basketball team that had a biological male on their team on Feb. 21,” reported the New York Post.

“The Christian PK-12 school says they were ‘irreparably harmed by being denied participation’ and ‘losing out on playing competitive sports as well as academic competitions,’ their lawsuit, filed by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), reads,” it added.

Vermont’s Principal Association (VPA) took immediate action against Mid Vermont after it canceled the game against Long Trail, asserting that the school violated policies on “‘commitment to racial, gender-fair, and disability awareness’ and on ‘gender identity.'”

“VPA policies prohibit discrimination and/or harassment of students on school property or at school functions by students or employees,” it said in February.

VPA kicked Mid Vermont out of its association.

Mid Vermont said in its lawsuit that the school had acted according to its religious beliefs, adding that VPA was  “denying the Christian school and its students from participating in the state’s tuition program and sports league because of their religious beliefs.”

“The State is entitled to its own views, but it is not entitled, nor is it constitutional, to force private, religious schools across the state to follow that orthodoxy as a condition to participating in Vermont’s tuitioning program and the State’s athletic association,” the lawsuit reads.

“If you don’t want to follow VPA rules, that’s fine. But then you’re just not a VPA member,” the association’s executive director, Jay Nichols, said. “It’s fairly simple. That’s really all we’re gonna really say about it.”

Mid Vermont Christian Head of School Vicky Fogg called the cancelation unfortunate.

“Cancelling our membership is not a solution and does nothing to deal with the very real issue of safety and fairness facing women’s sports in our beloved state,” Fogg wrote.

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.