A Vancouver Island College ladies’s basketball group received its convention championship, led by transgender participant Harriette Mackenzie, who was named…
A Vancouver college ladies’s group received its convention championship Saturday over a rival Christian college, led by a transgender participant who was named match MVP. Vancouver Island College (VIU) defeated Columbia Bible Faculty (CBC) 69-59 within the title sport of the Pacific Western Athletic Affiliation match to enhance to 21-1 and advance to the nationwide match.
The Mariners have been led by Harriette Mackenzie, a organic male who identifies as feminine and scored a game-high 21 factors to associate with 10 rebounds and was named the match MVP. Mackenzie, a 6-foot-2 ahead, leads the seven-team conference in scoring (17.9 ppg.) and blocks (1.5 per sport) and is second in field-goal share (49 p.c) and third in rebounds (10.4 rpg.).
“I am pleased with my story. And I wish to make one thing very clear — queer, trans, and nonbinary folks belong in sport. And there’s zero house on this league for hate, violence, and bigotry,” Mackenzie beforehand stated in a video.
Mackenzie started transitioning round “kindergarten or first grade” and claims to have by no means skilled male puberty.
“I am enjoying at a significant organic drawback,” Mackenzie stated in a Daily Mail story. “I by no means went by male puberty, I solely went by feminine puberty.”
Others, although, disagree, believing Mackenzie has a main benefit over organic females.
Columbia Bible Faculty Coach Taylor Claggett has spoken out about Mackenzie, arguing that different gamers are at a aggressive drawback and that security issues needs to be thought of. Vancouver Island College responded by canceling two video games at Columbia Bible Faculty this 12 months, claiming Mackenzie wouldn’t be secure.
Supporters of the Christian faculty, although, assert the difficulty is about equity. VIU was 3-0 in opposition to CBC this 12 months.
Columbia Bible Faculty is a Mennonite Bible faculty in British Columbia.
Final 12 months, Mackenzie claimed Claggett “went on a ‘tirade’” after a loss whereas “yelling at a VIU workers member about how Mackenzie should not be allowed to play in opposition to ladies,” the Times Colonist reported.
The varsity launched a press release, standing by Claggett.
“Taylor Claggett was talking out for the protection of her gamers like several good coach would do,” the assertion stated. “We stand in help of Taylor Claggett, and all our coaches, in expressing their respectable issues for the protection of our student-athletes.”
The spat between the 2 colleges led the convention to maneuver its match from Columbia Bible Faculty — the unique host — to a distinct faculty.
The controversy over trans-identifying athletes has been a heated problem in American politics and has made waves in Canada, too. Final 12 months, Alberta’s legislature handed a invoice barring organic males from competing in feminine sports activities, with the regulation set to take impact this fall. Nevertheless, Mackenzie’s faculty is situated in a distinct province — British Columbia.
Picture Credit score: ©Instagram/h.arriette
Michael Foust has lined the intersection of religion and information for 20 years. His tales have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity At present, The Christian Publish, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville Information-Sentinel.
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Initially revealed March 05, 2025.
