A Vermont Christian school has been suspended from participating in any future athletic tournaments sponsored by the Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) after its girls basketball team forfeited a match against an opposing team with a male player who claims he is a girl.
As National Review reports, “Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) was set to play the Long Tail Mountain Lions last Tuesday before the former decided not to compete based on concerns for player safety and fairness.”
Those “safety and fairness” concerns were entirely valid.
One of the opposing team’s players is a male who claims to be a female. On average, males are stronger, faster, taller and more physically imposing than females. In the context of athletic competitions, this biological fact gives males a distinct advantage over females and can make physical competitions between the sexes more dangerous for females.
These realities form the reasoning behind segregating sports based on sex in the first place.
In a statement to Fox News, MVCS said that their girls basketball team withdrew from the tournament for the following reason: “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.”
MVCS is spot on here, and good for them.
Yet, in response to MVCS’ decision, their entire school is now being punished, excluded, and caste aside in the name of “inclusion” and “fairness.”
All Christians should be calling foul at that decision.
The VPA’s Executive Committee released a statement on March 13, 2023, which stated the following:
With feedback from membership at large, our Diversity Equity and Inclusion in Activities Committee, and our Activity Standards Committee, The VPA’s Executive Council met today, March 13th, 2023 to discuss the relevant forfeiture. The result was a determination that policies have been violated at the school level, thus there is an immediate determination of ineligibility for Mid-Vermont Christian in VPA sanctioned activities and tournaments going forward (emphasis added).
Additionally, the VPA, ironically, mandates that before each VPA-sponsored event, a special “Pregame Statement” be read out loud. This statement reminds participants and spectators to maintain a “safe playing environment,” which is especially needed “with respect to a person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, ethnic differences, or disability.”
That’s right, VPA tells attendees and athletes to maintain respect for everyone’s “religion,” but then punishes Christians for living up to their deeply held religious convictions – not to mention basic biological facts. This statement is dripping with irony and hypocrisy.
Now, let’s be clear. What is happening here is that Mid Vermont Christian School is being forced to honor transgender ideology.
They did not ask for this fight. The girls on MVCS’ basketball team have likely spent years training and dedicating themselves to their sport. They did not want to forfeit the game. But they were forced to respond to the other team’s unfair decision.
Now, here are three takeaways for all Christians to consider following this incident.
First, all Christians – especially those in Vermont – should immediately rally around Mid Vermont Christian School. All other Vermont Christian schools, and Christians at Vermont public schools, should consider saying:
The VPA is going to force Christians schools to act against their religious beliefs and basic biology? That’s fine. Then we’re not going to participate in any event sponsored by the VPA until further notice. Two can play this game.
Second, all Christians must recognize that our modern society’s fascination with gender ideology is not something that we can ignore. In 2007, there was just one pediatric gender clinic in the U.S. Now there are over 100. These clinics give damaging puberty blockers, opposite sex hormones and surgeries to young children, harming and permanently sterilizing many of them.
And as this incident with VPA demonstrates, Christians will be made to care.
For this reason, we must be willing and ready to stand up for our beliefs. We cannot cower in the face of evil and intimidation. Gender ideology and transgenderism are not fads. They’re not going away. What are we prepared to do about it?
Third, pastors must be willing to preach on this issue. Pastors must teach their congregations that attacks on male and female are attacks on the very image and likeness of God in creation. In our modern society, this issue is fundamental to a Christian worldview. And Christians – especially Christian leaders – cannot remain silent.
In the very first chapter of the book of Genesis, we read that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). For Christians, the debate over transgenderism and protecting women’s sports is nonnegotiable.
The only question that remains is this: What are we prepared to do about it?
If you or someone you know need help dealing with the transgender issue, check out Focus on the Family’s Transgender Resources page here.
Focus on the Family’s Counseling Department offers help from licensed or pastoral counselors. To request a conversation with Focus on the Family’s Counseling Department, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time), or complete our Counseling Consultation Request Form. Please be prepared to leave your contact information for a counselor to return a call to you as soon as possible. The consultation is available at no cost to you due to generous donor support and will be with one of our licensed or pastoral counseling specialists.
To learn more about defeating gender ideology, click here.
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Counseling Consultation & Referrals
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