A high school girls basketball game ended in a forfeit at halftime after three girls suffered injuries in a match-up against a team that reportedly includes a male player who is six-feet tall and has facial hair.
The coach of a Massachusetts high school team, Collegiate Charter School of Lowell, ended the game early against KIPP Academy after numerous injuries, a press release from the charter school says, alluding to the school’s commitment to “inclusivity and safety.”
“The bench was already depleted going into the game with the 12-player roster having four players unable to play,” the press release reads. “When the coach saw three more girls go down in the first half leaving him with five players, he made the call to end the game early.”
“Once the third was injured, the remaining five expressed concern to him about continuing to play,” it continues. “The players feared getting injured and not being able to compete in the playoffs.”
The school added that it supports the coach’s decision to call the game, notably emphasizing its commitment to “inclusivity” and “equity.”
“The Charter School supports this decision and reiterates its values of both inclusivity and safety for all students,” the release adds. “We take the standards set by the MIAA and our Board of Trustees seriously and strive to uphold them on and off the court. We also follow the guidance from the MIAA and state laws regarding equity and access for all student-athletes.”
Video allegedly taken from the game has been posted online, showing a tall male appearing to injure a female player from Collegiate Charter.
“Trans-identified male player for Kipp Academy in MA injured 3 girls before half time causing Lowell Collegiate Charter School to forfeit,” Riley Gaines, a top collegiate swimmer-turned-girls sports advocate, captioned the video. “A man hitting a woman used to be called domestic abuse. Now it’s called brave. Who watches this & actually thinks this is ‘compassionate, kind, and inclusive’?”
WATCH:
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
According to a report from ItemLive, sources say the player in question is male and “more than 6 feet tall with facial hair.” However, KIPP officials are refusing to confirm the player’s “gender identity.”
The report also suggests that the charter school’s athletic director and coach knew KIPP’s team included a male player.
“Coach [Kevin Ortins] knew going into the game, already, because we had them at home the first game of the year and nothing happened then, so he knew going into the game,” Collegiate Charter Athletic Director Kyle Pelczar said.
Last year, Gaines and others testified before Congress about the risks associated with male athletes being permitted to play on girls and women’s teams.
“Not only do women have to worry about losing out on opportunities and being exploited in locker rooms, allowing men into women’s sports also puts girls at greater risk of injury,” Gaines testified. “In September of last year, North Carolina volleyball player Payton McNabb suffered serious injury after a trans-identified male player spiked a ball at her head, rendering her unconscious. Payton experienced extensive trauma to her head and neck and long-term concussion symptoms. Still to this day, a year and three-ish months later, she is still partially paralyzed on her right side, her vision is impaired, and she isn’t playing college sports, like she had dreamed of.”
The Biden administration’s Title IX rewrite is a direct attack on women’s rights.@Riley_Gaines_ has more courage than many of our elected officials, who let men compete in women’s sports and invade female-only spaces instead of standing up to pressure from left-wing activists. pic.twitter.com/muptQ768cn
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) December 5, 2023
Related: Trans-Identifying Volleyball Players Take Over Women’s College Game: Reports