As OutKick reported on Thursday, the Vancouver Island University women’s basketball team refused to play PACWEST conference opponent Columbia Bible College, claiming the Christian school created an unsafe environment because VIU has a transgender player .
Vancouver Island released a statement saying its players do not feel safe playing at Columbia Bible College.
“Bullying, harassment and discrimination have no place in athletics,” the statement said, according to Pak Gazette. “VIU fully supports 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 Bible College denied the allegation. (iStock)
CBC immediately denied allegations that they created an unsafe environment and responded by saying they had implemented additional security measures for the games against VIU.
The allegations of “bullying, harassment and discrimination” stem from multiple incidents in late October, when the two teams met for the first time this season.
Transgender Vancouver Island player Harriette Mackenzie said in an Instagram video that CBC coach Taylor Clagett went on a “rant” to a VIU staff member complaining that the team had a man on its team women’s basketball.
Mackenzie, who leads VIU in points, rebounds and blocks and is the tallest player on the team, further said CBC players attempted to hurt the transgender athlete with intentional flagrant fouls.
Columbia Bible College players wrote a letter denying the allegations against their team and head coach.
The Christian school players issued their own statement, signed by all the players, defending their coach and denying the accusations made by Mackenzie and VIU.
“Coach Claggett has repeatedly shown respect for all athletes of diverse backgrounds throughout her youth and collegiate coaching career. We have the privilege of interacting with Coach Claggett on a daily basis and know that the concerns she has expressed are rooted in taking care of the safety of his team,” said the statement sent to OutKick.
“The attack on Coach Claggett’s character and the character of our team over the past three months has been based on misinformation and one side of a complicated scenario.”
Normally, in this situation, those games would count as losses for Vancouver Island, the No. 5 team in the CCAA. However, PACWEST decided to simply postpone those games for the time being, something Columbia Bible College said represented a double standard.
General view of the hoop and nets during a college basketball game between the Villanova Wildcats and the Providence Friars on March 2, 2024, at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“In the past, when a team refused to participate and travel to a scheduled game, they received 0 standings points. By postponing games this weekend, PacWest was contradicting standard operating procedure. No clear justification has been provided. to our team to justify this deviation from normal procedures,” the statement said.
It seems clear that Coach Claggett does not believe that biological males, like Mackenzie, should compete in women’s sports. That is the majority opinion of most American citizens, although Canada tends to lean more left than the United States, so there may be fewer citizens who hold that common sense belief in the neighboring country.
But the picture painted by the CBC players is no different than that often seen in American sports, when women defend themselves and their sports and demand that biological men compete against other men and not women. They face harassment and calls of “intolerance” simply for wanting fair competition.
It is unfortunate that the players and the coach have faced “derogatory messages” for their stance, but that is the reality. And, as CBC noted, PACWEST appeared to show favoritism toward VIU, likely because the conference fears a backlash from the trans mob if they don’t meet their demands.
This is how these people usually get their way. They use intimidation tactics to force their opponents into silence. But the Columbia Bible College players decided not to remain silent. Good for them.
