Canadian Christian basketball team responds to transgender abuse allegations

As OutKick reported on Thursday, Vancouver Island University's women's basketball team is losing ground to its PACWEST Conference opponent Columbia, alleging the Christian school created an unsafe environment due to the presence of a transgender player at VIU. He refused to play against Bible College.

Vancouver Island released a statement saying its players do not feel safe playing at Columbia Bible College.

“Intimidation, harassment and discrimination have no place in athletics,” the statement read, according to Fox News. “VIU fully supports our student-athletes and affirms the right of all athletes to compete in an environment that prioritizes safety and health.”

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CBC quickly denied claims that they created an unsafe environment and countered that they had put in place additional safety measures for the game against VIU.

The allegations of “intimidation, harassment and discrimination” stem from multiple incidents in late October, when the two teams met for the first time this season.

Harriet McKenzie, a transgender player on Vancouver Island, said in an Instagram video that CBC coach Taylor Claggett “hurled abuse” at a VIU staff member who was unhappy about the presence of a man on the women's basketball team. Ta.

McKenzie, who leads VIU in points, rebounds and blocks and is the tallest player on the team, also accused CBC players of trying to injure a transgender player with an intentional flagrant foul. said.

Columbia Bible College players wrote a letter denying the accusations against the team and head coach.

The Christian school's players released a statement signed by all players defending their head coach and denying the accusations by McKenzie and VIU.

“Throughout his career as a youth and college coach, Coach Claggett has repeatedly shown respect for athletes of all backgrounds. We have had the privilege of interacting with Coach Claggett on a daily basis. , we know that the concerns she expressed are rooted in their care “for the safety of her team,'' the statement sent to Outkick reads.

“The attacks on Coach Claggett's character and the character of our team over the past three months have been based on misinformation and aspects of a complex scenario.”

Normally, in this situation, these games would count as forfeit games for Vancouver Island, the No. 5 team in the CCAA. However, while PACWEST has decided to postpone these games for the time being, Columbia Bible College said this is a double standard.

A general view of the rim and net during the college basketball game between the Villanova Wildcats and the Providence Friars at Amica Mutual Pavilion on March 2, 2024 in Providence, Rhode Island. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“Previously, if a team refused to participate in a scheduled game or travel, that team received zero points in the scoring. By postponing this weekend's game, PacWest is following standard operating procedures. “No clear rationale has been provided for our team to justify the deviation from normal procedures,” it said in a statement.

It seems clear that Coach Claggett does not believe that biological males like McKenzie should participate in women's sports. That is the majority opinion of most Americans, but Canada tends to lean more to the left than the United States, so there may be fewer people who hold such common-sense beliefs about its neighbor.

But the situation depicted by the CBC players is a familiar one in American sports, where women stand up for themselves and their sports, and biological men fight other men instead of women. It's similar to someone who demands competition. They face harassment and calls of “bias” simply because they want fair competition.

It's unfortunate that players and coaches were subjected to “derogatory messages'' for their attitude, but that's the reality. And, as CBC noted, PACWEST appears to be showing favoritism toward VIU, perhaps because it fears backlash from the trans mafia if the conference doesn't comply with its demands.

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These people often get their way. They use bullying tactics to silence their opponents. But the players at Columbia Bible College decided not to stay quiet. Good for them.

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