Vermont Christian school readmitted to sports association after refusing to compete against ‘trans’ athlete
An appeals court ruled that an athletic association cannot exclude a Vermont school's girls' basketball team for refusing to play against teams with male athletes.
After a Vermont Christian school was expelled from Vermont’s athletic association for forfeiting a girls’ basketball game because the opposing team had a male player, an appeals court has ruled that the association cannot exclude the school.
Alliance Defending Freedom, the legal organization representing Mid Vermont Christian School and one of the school’s families, stated in a news release that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit issued a preliminary injunction in favor of the school Sept. 9. The ruling temporarily reinstates the school in the Vermont Principals’ Association’s (VPA) sports activities while the case plays out in district court.
“We conclude that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed in showing that the VPA’s expulsion of Mid Vermont was not neutral because it displayed hostility toward the school’s religious beliefs; Plaintiffs are therefore likely to prevail on their Free Exercise claim,” the ruling states.
CatholicVote previously reported that Mid Vermont Christian is a faith-based Pre-K through 12th-grade school. In 2023, the girls’ basketball team decided to forfeit one of its games against a team with a male athlete, citing safety concerns for its own players.
ADF noted in the release that the VPA generally bans boys from playing on girls’ sports teams “to protect opportunities for girl athletes” but allows “trans” students to play on teams that match their gender identities instead of their sex. The association refused to let the Christian school participate unless it agreed to play against teams with trans athletes.
Chris Goodwin, coach of the girls’ basketball team, stated in the release that he never thought he “would be in court for simply adhering to my Christian and commonsense belief that boys and girls are different.”
“At Mid Vermont Christian School, we strive to exemplify biblical truth in and through everything we do. We’re grateful for our legal team at Alliance Defending Freedom who helped us get back in the game,” he added. “As a coach, I always want my team to play in fair and safe competitions. As a dad, I want my daughter to know that she should always stand up for her beliefs and should never be punished for that decision.”
