OAN’s Brooke Mallory
2:28 PM – Wednesday, November 22, 2023
A private Christian school that refused to play against a sports team since their roster included a transgender student-athlete is now suing the state of Vermont after being prohibited from engaging in any future state-run athletics.
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Attorneys for Mid Vermont Christian School and two families sued the state on Tuesday, claiming that the school’s denial of enrollment in the state’s sports league and tuition program was due to their “religious beliefs.”
The Quechee school had forfeited a game back on February 21st, the day they were supposed to face Long Trail, a tiny coed college prep school in Dorset.
Vicky Fogg, the head of Mid Vermont Christian School, defended the decision by expressing that she did not think it was “fair” to have her female players compete against a “biological male,” since it is scientifically proven that biological male athletes who have gone through puberty are at an advantage athletically and strength-wise in comparison to biological female athletes.
The Christian Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade school says that they were “irreparably harmed by being denied participation” and also “losing out on playing competitive sports as well as academic competitions,” according to the lawsuit.
However, the school is still accused of breaking Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) policies, which the organization claims are in line with state law. These two policies—the gender identity policy and the dedication to racial, gender-neutral, and disability awareness—are the first and second on the list of regulations.
The school’s lawyers claim that Vermont, “through [The] Agency of Education and Principals’ Association [is requiring] private, religious schools like Mid Vermont Christian to adopt the state’s view on human sexuality and gender… [violating] the First Amendment rights of Mid Vermont Christian, its students, and families,” according to their statement.
“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.
The state of Vermont allows gender-dysphoric minors who identify as transgender to participate and play on high school sports teams of their preferred gender, and according to the Movement Advancement Project, 18 U.S. state legislatures have outlawed it thus far.
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