Vermont senator on Christian school sports ban: ‘I don’t think it’s a bridge too far’
Democratic State Senator Rebecca White of Vermont told CNN the athletes are ‘unlikely’ to go on to elite professional athletics.
A Vermont state senator defended the barring of a Christian school from future sports tournaments after the girls’ basketball team forfeited a game because its opponent had a transgender student on the roster.
"I don’t think it’s a bridge too far," Vermont Democratic State Senator Rebecca White told CNN on Monday.
"The athletes that we’re talking about are unlikely to go on to elite professional athletics, but that concept of discriminating against another person, it causes long-term outcomes for trans youth because they’re hearing rhetoric that tells them they are not valuable, that they’re dangerous," she said.
White also said she felt "disappointment" with the adults who supported the decision to forfeit the game and suggested the school was "pushing back" on the state’s commitment to inclusivity.
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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signs a bill in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, that prevents transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams. ((AP Photo/Sean Murphy))
"We’re an inclusive state, we’re a welcoming state," White said. "So, it doesn’t surprise me that we’ve had a situation where folks are pushing back against some of that inclusive work that we’ve done. Because it is innovative, it is bold and it’s important."
Last month, the Mid Vermont Christian School dropped out of the tournament ahead of a game against Long Trail Mountain. Head of School Vicky Fogg argued at the time that it was unfair and unsafe for the high school girls to play against a biological male on the opposing team.
"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," Fogg wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital in February.
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Multiple states have banned transgender student athletes from participating on the teams that align with their gender identity. (AP Photo/Samuel Metz, File)
The Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) ruled that Mid Vermont Christian School had violated policies and is ineligible to participate in future tournaments that it sanctions. The move applies to all sports.
"The VPA again reiterates its ongoing support of transgender student-athletes as not only a part of building an inclusive community for each student to grow and thrive, but also as a clear expectation by Vermont state law(s) in the Agency of Education Best Practices, and in VPA Policy regarding transgender student athletes," the governing body said in a statement.
Officials said the White River Junction-based school failed to meet the association’s policies on race, gender and disability awareness.
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State law prohibits discrimination against student athletes because of their gender identity and says any disputes over students' participation on sports teams that don't match their biological gender must be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Vermont has some of the most progressive laws on the books related to transgender Americans' use of locker rooms and participation in sports.
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In September, members of the Randolph Union High School girls volleyball team in Vermont were banned by school officials from using the locker room pending an investigation after some members objected to a biological male changing with them.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.