Opposing team with trans player faces criticism from women's basketball players for 'personal attacks' and 'inciting violence'

CBC women's basketball players have written a letter to an opposing team that refuses to play against them due to alleged abuse of a transgender player.

On Thursday, Vancouver Island University (VIU) declared that it would not participate in its two upcoming games against CBC this weekend, following an incident in their previous meeting in October where a CBC coach allegedly violated the Coach's Code of Ethics by treating a trans athlete. VIU has requested that the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) refrain from imposing penalties on their team due to the gravity of the situation.

Harriette Mackenzie, a transgender player at VIU, has accused CBC coaches and players of abusive behavior.

The CBC players' letter, obtained by Planet Chronicle Digital, criticizes VIU's team for making "personal attacks," "defamatory comments," and "violent comments" against their coach.

The VIU women's basketball team has violated multiple rules in Article 17.2 of the manual through posts on videos and letters, including personal attacks, defamatory comments, lack of respect towards the PACWEST, and incite to violence and/or hatred directed at the coach.

"The allegations made by VIU players against our team and coach should have been privately communicated to PACWEST officials, not publicly uploaded to social media."

The letter even called the VIU players' statements "misinformation."

The accusations against Coach Claggett and our team over the past three months have been unfounded and based on a partial view of the situation.

On Oct. 30, Mackenzie posted a video on the athlete's Instagram page, accusing Columbia Bible head coach Taylor Clagett of cornering one of the athletic staff and going on a tirade about how Mackenzie should not be allowed to play.

A Columbia Bible player intentionally tackled Mackenzie to the ground, according to her.

The trans athlete stated, "I was two-hand chucked to the ground by No. 13 without a play on the ball in sight, and head coach Clagett applauded in support."

Mackenzie played a key role in leading the Mariners to the 2022-23 Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championship. This season, the athlete is currently ranked second in the PACWEST in scoring with 16.1 points per game and third in rebounds with 9.4 per game. Additionally, Mackenzie is also second in the conference in shooting percentage at 49.7%.

"Mackenzie stated in the video that they believe all trans people should be included in sport. However, they find it particularly frustrating because they are playing at a major biological disadvantage as they did not go through male puberty. They only experienced female puberty and do not have ovaries or testicles, which means they cannot produce testosterone."

The CBC players' letters allege that the VIU team has breached standard protocol for canceling games, and the PACWEST has not enforced the appropriate standards.

The standard operating procedure has been contradicted by PACWEST's decision to postpone games this weekend. Our team has not received a clear rationale for this departure from normal procedures, and we have not received any points in the classification for refusing to participate and travel to scheduled games in the past.

"According to Article 13 section 9.1.1, if a team cannot play a scheduled game, the coach or athletic director must contact the opposing director of athletics to explain the reason for not fulfilling the commitment. However, we have no information indicating that this requirement was met."

The CBC players, who have remained quiet until now, believe they can no longer do so.

We have refrained from commenting publicly on the PacWest and VIU until now. We have maintained a respectful approach by expressing our concerns through official channels rather than social media. However, the VIU women's basketball team has not reciprocated this respect and has primarily communicated through social media.

"To ensure that our voices are heard in this conversation and that our respect shown throughout this process is not mistaken for passivity, we are writing this letter in response to their behavior being rewarded for refusing to play this weekend."

The Canadian Human Rights Act and anti-discrimination legislation prohibit discrimination against gender identity or expression in all places within Canada since June 2017. This law ensures the inclusion of all trans athletes in women's and girls' sports.

In the U.S., President-elect Trump has pledged to prohibit trans athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports. Additionally, Trump has frequently proposed that Canada become the 51st state.

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