This incident is part of a saga. See the full saga here.
Overview
On February 20, 2023, Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) notified the Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) that it would forfeit its upcoming girls’ basketball playoff game scheduled for the 21st rather than compete against The Long Trail School. The game itself was scheduled for February 21, 2023 (a Tuesday). MVCS made the decision the day before after learning that The Long Trail School’s girls’ roster included a trans-identifying male player (“transgender girl” in VPA terminology).
MVCS stated that allowing a male athlete into girls’ competition was unsafe and unfair to its female students (and they are correct). The school’s letter explained that it would not “put our girls at risk” nor participate in a matchup where “biological sex differences create an inequitable playing field.”
The forfeit immediately removed MVCS from that year’s tournament bracket (as the playoffs were single elimination, this is normal for a forfeit). No further disciplinary action occurred at that time; the school simply declined to play under the conditions required by the VPA’s gender-identity policy.