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Our high school volleyball careers came to an abrupt end, a choice we should never have been forced to make. It was the last game of the season and the chance to compete for a state title, or lose the chance to compete against male athletes.
On the one hand, the decision was easy. We are Christians who attend Christian schools and believe that Genesis 1 is true: God created male and female, that gender cannot be changed, and that we compete with men who identify as women. It's no surprise that I believe in this. It will send a message that contradicts what we believe. Many people believe that a person can change their gender just by saying so, but the Bible teaches that “don't be conformed to this world.”
On the one hand, it was devastating. We are both seniors and a loss in that match meant that all the hard work and sacrifices we had put in to get to the semifinals came to a screeching halt without a proper conclusion. did. We have the opportunity to celebrate playing in the final game of our favorite sport and compete for a state title, which the Stone Ridge Christian School girls volleyball team has won twice in recent years. It never happened.
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Our volleyball players, along with the school's administration and staff in Merced, California, have made the difficult decision not to participate in the November game against San Francisco Waldorf School.
Stone Ridge Christian School volleyball players (L-R) Lena Freedman, Mackenzie Anderson, Mikila Bean, and Anneka Vander Woude. (Alliance to Defend Freedom)
Female students should not have to choose between competing against male athletes or not competing at all. No girl should lose the opportunity to exercise in order to stand up for biological reality and truth. All athletes have the right to compete while adhering to their religious beliefs.
The California Interscholastic Federation has publicly announced that our school may be subject to sanctions due to our common sense position. That's why Stoneridge maintains the Alliance Defending Freedom, which can protect the school in case the government carries out its threat of punishment.
While we are the first Christian school in the state to choose to defend our beliefs in this way, college volleyball players at public universities who have just as much to lose are bravely defending truth, fairness, and safety. I am. Currently, five teams have forfeited seven games against nearby San Jose State University, which allows male players to compete on the school's women's volleyball team.
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It is unrealistic to think that girls and boys can compete against each other fairly or safely. The differences between men's volleyball and women's volleyball are so vast that they are essentially two different sports. First, the net height in men's volleyball is 7 inches higher, and the style of play is completely different.
Women's volleyball is very strategic. We watch movies, we make plans, we think about our every move. There's nothing better than seeing all your training pay off when your team wins a hard-fought victory. we communicate. we are defensive.
But for men it's completely different. It's more a question of power. They use force to drive the ball to the other side. They just react. They jump effortlessly and kick the ball so hard that half of their body goes over the net. Forget about trying to block them.
We may never get the chance to put on pads and step on the court again, which is really difficult for us. But this is much bigger than just a game or a state title.
Female students should not have to choose between competing against male athletes or not competing at all. No girl should lose the opportunity to exercise in order to stand up for biological reality and truth.
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We say this on behalf of all young girls who aspire to play sports one day. There is value in defending the truth that boys and girls are inherently different and each deserves their own separate sports teams and locker rooms.
As long as California's athletic policy allows boys to compete with girls — taking away rosters, trophies, and unfairly forfeiting important games — other women will also be involved in this issue. you will have to face it. Christian schools like Stone Ridge have a fundamental right to protect the well-being of their students and uphold their religious beliefs.
Mikila Bean plays volleyball for Stoneridge Christian School in Merced, California.
