Women’s basketball players at Columbia Bible College (CBC) in British Columbia, in Canada, have signed a letter responding to an opposing team refusing to play games against CBC because of alleged abuse of a transgender player.

Vancouver Island University (VIU) announced Thursday that it will not play its two games against CBC this weekend after an incident in the last meeting between the two teams in October, alleging that a CBC coach treated the trans athlete in a way that that violated the coach’s Code of Ethics. VIU has asked its conference, the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST), not to penalize its team for not playing the games due to the nature of the situation.

VIU’s transgender player, Harriette Mackenzie, has made public statements that CBC coaches and players behaved in an offensive manner.

The letter from the CBC players, obtained by Pakinomist Digital, condemns VIU’s team for “personal attacks,” “defamatory comments” and even “comments that incite violence,” against their coach.

“Videos and letters posted by members of the VIU women’s basketball team over the past three months have directly violated several rules stated in Article 17.2 of the manual. Various posts have included ‘personal attacks,’ ‘defamatory comments,’ ‘disrespectful to PACWEST,'” and led to “comments inciting violence and/or hatred” directed at our coach,” the letter read.

“Any and all allegations made by VIU players regarding our team and coach should have been communicated directly to PACWEST officials alone, they should not have been publicly uploaded to social media.”

The letter even called the VIU players’ statements “misinformation”.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist

“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,” it read.

Mackenzie wrote a video to the athlete’s Instagram page on October 30, claiming that Columbia Bible head coach Taylor Clagett “cornered one of our athletic staff and went on a tirade about how I shouldn’t be allowed to play.”

Mackenzie said she was also deliberately soiled by a Columbia Bible player.

“I was thrown with two hands to the ground by No. 13 without a play on the ball in sight, then head coach Clagett can be seen clapping in support,” said the trans athlete.

Mackenzie helped lead the Mariners to the 2022-23 Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championship. This season, the athlete is second in the PACWEST with 16.1 points per game. game and third in rebounds with 9.4 per game as VIU is 11-1 in the conference. Mackenzie is also second in the conference in shooting percentage at 49.7%.

“I think all trans people should be included in sports. But it’s especially upsetting to me because I play — and am forced to play — at a major biological disadvantage,” Mackenzie said in the video. “I never went through a male puberty. I only went through a female puberty. And I don’t have ovaries, I don’t have testicles, so I have no way to make any testosterone.”

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

The CBC players’ letters also allege the VIU team violated standard procedure for voiding games and PACWEST failed to hold VIU to proper standards.

“In the past, when a team has refused to attend and travel to a scheduled game, they have received 0 points in the classification. By postponing the games this weekend, PACWEST has defied standard procedure. No clear justification has been given to our team. for to justify this departure from normal procedures,” the letter read.

“Additionally, Article 13, Section 9.1.1 states that if a team cannot make a scheduled game, the coach or athletic director must contact the opposing director of athletics to “state the reason for their inability to meet their scheduled commitment.” To the best of our knowledge, this requirement was not met.”

The CBC players, who have remained silent on this point, think they can no longer.

“Up until this point, we have remained silent. We have shown respect for the PacWest and VIU over the past few months by staying off social media and voicing our concerns through official channels. The VIU women’s basketball team has not shared the same respect to PacWest or CBC and has communicated primarily on social media,” the letter read.

“Their behavior has been rewarded in how their refusal to play this weekend has been handled. We are writing this letter to ensure that our voices are heard in this conversation and that the respect we have shown throughout this process, not to be confused with passivity.”

Since June 2017, all places in Canada have explicitly prohibited discrimination against gender identity or gender expression within Canadian human rights, equal opportunity and/or anti-discrimination legislation. This law protects the inclusion of all trans athletes in women’s and girls’ sports.

In the United States, President-elect Trump has promised to ban trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Trump has also repeatedly suggested that Canada join the United States, potentially as the 51st state.