As outtake reported on Thursdaythe Vancouver Island University women's basketball team refused to play against Columbia Bible College, a PACWEST Conference competitor, claiming the Christian school created an unsafe environment because VIU had a transgender player.
Vancouver Island issued 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 stands in full support of our student-athletes and affirms the right of all athletes to compete in an environment that prioritizes their safety and well-being.”
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Columbia University Bible College denied the allegation. (Istock)
CBC immediately denied the allegations that it created an unsafe environment, and responded by saying that it had taken measures to increase safety for matches against VIU.
The allegations of “intimidation, harassment and discrimination” stem from several incidents that occurred in late October when the two teams played each other for the first time this season.
Harriet McKenzie, a transgender player on Vancouver Island, said in an Instagram video that CBC coach Taylor Clagett went on a “tirade” to a VIU employee complaining about having a man on the women's basketball team.
McKenzie, who leads VIU in points, rebounds and blocks and is the team's tallest player, said CBC players tried to hit the transgender athlete with intentional flagrant fouls.
Players from Columbia Bible College wrote a letter denying the accusations against their team and their head coach.
The Christian school players issued a statement of their own, signed by each player, defending their head coach and denying the accusations made by McKenzie and VIU.
“Coach Claggett has repeatedly demonstrated her respect for all athletes from many backgrounds throughout her career as a youth and college coach. We have the privilege of interacting with Coach Claggett on a daily basis and know that the concerns she has expressed are rooted in caring for the safety of her team,” the statement sent to OutKick said.
“The attacks on Coach Clagett’s character and the character of our team over the past three months have been based on misinformation and one side of a complex scenario.”
Normally, in this case, those games would count as forfeit losses to Vancouver Island, the No. 5 team in the CCAA. However, PACWEST simply decided to postpone those games for the time being, something Columbia Bible College said represents a double standard.
A general view of the rim and net during a college basketball game between the Villanova Wildcats and Providence Friars on March 2, 2024, at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Ikon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“In the past, when a team declined to participate and travel to a rescheduled game, they received 0 points in the rankings. By postponing games this weekend, PacWest has contradicted its standard operating procedures. No clear rationale has been provided.” The statement told our team to justify this departure from normal procedures.
It seems clear that Coach Claggett does not believe that biological men, like McKenzie, should compete in women's sports. This is the majority opinion of most American citizens, although Canada leans more to the left than the United States, so there are probably fewer citizens who hold this common sense belief in the neighboring country.
But the picture painted by the CBC players is no different from the one we often see in American sports when women stand up for themselves and their sports and demand that biological males compete against other males and not against females. They face harassment and calls of “intolerance” simply for wanting to compete fairly.
It is unfortunate that the players and the coach faced “humiliating messages” because of their stance, but that is the reality. As CBC noted, PACWEST appears to be showing favoritism toward VIU, likely because the conference fears backlash from the mutant mafia if they do not comply with their demands.
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This is how these people often get their way. They use bullying tactics to force opponents into silence. But the Columbia Bible College players decided not to remain silent. Good for them.
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