Women's basketball team boycotts game in support of trans player

According to Mackenzie's account posted to Instagram (above), the trouble started after Vancouver Island University beat the Columbia Bible College Bearcats in a basketball game in October. She alleged that after the game, the other team's coach, Taylor Claggett, "cornered one of our athletic staff and went on a tirade about how I shouldn't be able to play."

The next day, she says her coach called her and asked if she was "aware of the situation on social media."

"After the night before's game, Taylor Claggett's brother and business partner, Kyle Claggett, had posted the following on his Instagram story," Mackenzie says in an Instagram post showing several screenshots that say: "Keep women's sports, WOMENS SPORTS!" and "You have girls that have dreams to play post secondary basketball and when they end up making it they have to play against a MALE! Unreal. Make it make sense."

She then alleged that in the next game the teams played, she felt like she was targeted with hard fouls and was almost injured.

"Sadly, situations like these are nothing new to me," she said. "Throughout my entire playing career, I've been outed and attacked by everyone from players to coaches to fans. They try to invalidate my achievements, from player of the year to national MVP, claiming, 'She only won that because she's trans.' Many attribute my success, not to hard work and dedication, but to the fact that I am a trans woman. These people don't know my story and they don't care to. They don't care that I began my transition in kindergarten, never undergoing male puberty. They don't care that my testosterone levels are one tenth that of a cis woman, due to lack of reproductive organs, placing me at a significant disadvantage to cis women. They don't care, and instead, they are fueled by their shared bigotry and ignorance."

Columbia Bible College released a statement denying that the team had targeted Mackenzie, but acknowledged its coach did have a discussion with VIU's coach, and said that "Taylor Claggett was speaking out for the safety of her players like any good coach would do," and, "We stand in support of Taylor Claggett, and all our coaches, in expressing their legitimate concerns for the safety of our student athletes."

This safety was in question, the statement says, due to "the play of a 6'2" transgender athlete."

The Pacific Western Conference (PACWEST), where both teams play, also issued a statement, saying that the league "is dedicated to providing all student-athletes with the opportunity to freely participate in competition. All student-athletes deserve an inclusive environment free of harassment where respect and personal dignity are guiding values. Intimidation or harassment of PACWEST student-athletes will not be tolerated."

"As a member of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the PACWEST follows national policies and procedures for all sports that lead into CCAA championships, including the CCAA's policy on transgender student-athlete participation found here," the statement continues.

It also points to a scientific review by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports, which says that "available evidence indicates trans women who have undergone testosterone suppression have no clear biological advantages over cis women in elite sport."

Vancouver Island University is asking the conference to suspend Claggett, move the provincial championship to a venue other than CBC, and require the school to adopt a "zero-tolerance policy for hate and discrimination." It also calls on the conference to postpone the games between the two teams if it plans on recording the boycott as losses for VIU.

A statement from VIU says the school "stands in full support of our student-athletes and affirms the right of all athletes to compete in an environment that prioritizes their safety and well-being."

Trans inclusion in sports has been a hot-button issue, with many of the world's largest sports bodies weighing in. In 2024, a study financed by the International Olympic Committee showed that while trans women athletes had greater handgrip strength compared to their cis women counterparts, they scored lower on lung function, cardiovascular fitness, and jumping ability.

According to a paper published by the National Library of Medicine, "While data are still scarce, the limited information available does not suggest that trans men and trans women have much, if any, athletic advantage post-transition. Indeed, in most cases they perform more similarly to those matching their gender identity, or somewhere between cis men and women."