A college women’s team turned the tables and refused to play a game in support of a trans teammate. It’s about time.
In time when many stay mum in the inclusion debate, a college basketball team in Canada spoke up loud and clear for a trans teammate The post A college women’s team turned the tables and refused to play a game in support of a trans teammate. It’s about time. appeared first on Outsports.
The Vancouver Island University Mariners women’s basketball team refused to take the floor against conference rival Columbia Bible College last weekend because a transgender woman athlete was in uniform.
But before you say, “ugh Karleigh, I know where this is going”… wait for the plot twist.
The Mariners, based in British Columbia, stood down to stand up for a trans teammate they felt was being targeted by the other team.
The action stemmed from a back-to-back games between the two teams in October, and the clutch play of senior post player Harriette Mackenzie. The 6-foot-2 center-forward put up 19 points and 16 rebounds to aid a second-half surge to a 69-56 win.
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Her effort made the home fans smile, but it left Columbia Bible College head coach Taylor Claggett fuming to the point of reportedly having cross words with one of the VIU coaches over Mackenzie having an “unfair” advantage because she is a trans woman.
She also has some nifty inside moves and skill, the daughter of parents who play college ball.
From there the CBC coach’s brother, Kyle Claggett, went full gender critical on social media.
“You have girls who dream of playing post-secondary basketball,” his post screamed. “When they have to they have to play against a MALE! Unreal. Make it make sense.”
The misgendering was one thing, but the following day’s game saw the Columbia Bible players reportedly get a little chippy with rough play and some verbal taunts at Mackenzie.
On one play, a CBC player yanked her by the shirt and slammed her hard to the court. A flagrant foul was assessed, and Mackenzie said — days after a second win for the Mariners — that the ugliness stemmed from the transphobia of the opposing head coach.
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Basketball team to boycott games against Christian college they say harassed their trans teammate
While several college teams boycott games involving trans athletes, Vancouver Island University stands up for the safety of Harriette Mackenzie. The opposing schools denies any wrongdoing.A college women’s team turned the tables and refused to play a game in support of a trans teammate. It’s about time.
In time when many stay mum in the inclusion debate, a college basketball team in Canada spoke up loud and clear for a trans teammate
“I’m done letting ignorant transphobes like Taylor and her crew spew hate against me and my community,” Mackenzie declared via Instagram days after the initial incident. “I’m done staying silent while harmful narratives make today’s queer youth feel that they don’t belong in sport.”
The frustration from the incident, and the frustration with the response from the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST), powered the team’s unanimous decision last week.
“We need you to know that we are not OK with what happened,” the team stated in a letter to VIU and PACWEST officials last week. “We don’t feel safe playing at CBC or with that team so long as Coach Claggett is still free to behave the way she did. Your inaction isn’t just disappointing. It has made us and the game less safe.”
This group of young women channeled the San Diego Loyal last week. Just as the now-defunct USL side refused to continue a match in 2020 because of a homophobic incident by an opponent, the VIU Mariners lived the Loyal’s mantra.
The team called out the PACWEST for taking Mackenzie’s official complaint and then doing little about it. They also spoke up with their concerns on Columbia Bible College being the host of a conference tournament, given the incident and the school’s response to it.
The conference says there is a continuing investigation, even nearly three months after the incident. PACWEST has listed the two games as “postponed” for now.
CBC officials are denying Mackenzie’s allegations while saying in a statement, “We stand in support of Taylor Claggett, and all our coaches, in expressing their legitimate concerns for the safety of our student-athletes.”
Amid CBC’s response and the PACWEST’s indecision, there is an important dynamic here: the unity that the VIU team is showing in support of Harriette Mackenzie.
Rebel News won’t get an “anonymous” player seeking to defame Mackenzie, the way some of Lia Thomas’ teammates did at Penn.
This team seemingly doesn’t have a Brooke Slusser waiting to do her best Riley Gaines impression or join her petty political lawsuit against the NCAA.
The support also extended to the VIU fans. It’s become common to see Mariners faithful also waving transgender pride blue-pink-white alongside Mariner blue-white-black.
The student-athlete in question has dealt with the noise before. She was at a college in neighboring Alberta and left due to transphobia within that team. Since coming to VIU she’s been a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year and in 2023, she was a part of CCAA champion at VIU.
The Mariners return to action at home against Camosun College Friday and Saturday as the season continues, but the controversy looms and not just because they could meet Columbia Bible College again.
Canadians are staring at a federal election that must happen by October 20, and could be called any time before. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, said to be the odds-on favorite to be Canada’s next Prime Minister, has made it quite clear that he’ll demonize transgender Canadians the way the Republicans in the U.S. demonize transgender Americans.
Such would make Harriette Mackenzie’s personal life very political.
Yet this player, this team, and their fans may be built for this and other moments to come.
The team put forth their stance boldly in their letter.
“All of us should be free to be ourselves and play the game we love in a supportive state and safe environment, including queer and trans athletes,” the team wrote.
Whereas many schools and teams retreat to “no comment” at best, or curry favor with professional transphobes as worse, the VIU Mariners showed they’ll speak and they’ll act.
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The post A college women’s team turned the tables and refused to play a game in support of a trans teammate. It’s about time. appeared first on Outsports.
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