A Massachusetts private school is standing by its decision to let a trans-identifying male play on the girls’ basketball team after three opposing players said they got hurt.
KIPP Academy Lynn just north of Boston criticized what it called “harmful comments” about the trans-identifying player, who is reportedly over six feet tall with facial hair.
“We condemn harmful comments being made online toward members of our community, and will continue to let the vision, mission and principles of our organization guide our actions,” school spokesperson Samantha Cooke told The Boston Globe.
A viral video clip from a February 8 game shows the trans-identifying male player yanking the basketball away from a girl on the opposing team, who is thrown to the ground. The girl remains on the floor clutching her back as others rush up to help her.
Trans-identified male player for Kipp Academy in MA injured 3 girls before half time causing Lowell Collegiate Charter School to forfeit.
A man hitting a woman used to be called domestic abuse. Now it's called brave.
Who watches this & actually thinks this is "compassionate,… pic.twitter.com/ZLlqYH6iAs
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) February 19, 2024
The clip was shared by former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, as well as Libs of TikTok.
The coach of the opposing girls’ basketball team, Collegiate Charter School of Lowell, forfeited the game at halftime after multiple injuries, the charter school said in a news release.
“Once the third was injured, the remaining five expressed concern to him about continuing to play,” the school said in its press release. “The players feared getting injured and not being able to compete in the playoffs.”
Executive Director Carol Rose blasted the clip going viral, calling it “part of a coordinated attempt nationwide to try to remove LGBTQ people from public life.”
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Rose also claimed that there are “hundreds, if not thousands” of trans-identifying high school student athletes who play without problems. She cautioned against “conflating allegations of aggressive conduct by one player with broader issues of inclusion.”
The trans-identifying male also plays on the girls’ volleyball and track teams, according to KIPP’s executive director, Rhonda “Nikki” Barnes.
“To the best of our knowledge, this student has never been on a men’s team at KIPP,” Barnes told the Globe.
“The vision of KIPP Massachusetts is that every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities,” Barnes said previously in a statement to Fox News. “To do this, we work to create joyful and identity-affirming schools for our students, and prioritize maintaining student and staff safety above everything else.”
“We also support state laws and regulations, which provide students with the right to participate in all school extracurricular activities and sports based on their gender identity or expression,” Barnes said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts is also reportedly supporting KIPP in this matter.