Injury sparks transgender debate
Lowell coach forfeited game after girl got hurt
Another local high school sports game has been thrust into the middle of the transgender athlete debate after a biological male player reportedly injured three girls during a basketball game.
The coach for the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell girls basketball team ended the recent game against Lynn’s KIPP Academy at halftime, forfeiting the contest after his third player got hurt.
The video of one of the girls getting injured went viral on social media after Riley Gaines — a former college swimmer who’s adamantly against allowing biological males to play girls’ sports — shared the clip online.
“The MIAA has been made aware of an incident at a girls’ basketball game between Collegiate Charter School of Lowell and KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate,” the MIAA said in a statement on Thursday.
“The MIAA continues to serve as a resource to its member schools as they navigate the facts of the matter at the local level,” the state athletic association added.
The Lowell charter school team’s bench was already depleted heading into the game. Four of the team’s 12 players were already unavailable for the contest.
“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,” the school said in a statement. “The upcoming Charter School playoffs were looming, and he needed a healthy and robust bench in four days.
“Once the third was injured, the remaining five expressed concern to him about continuing to play,” the school added. “The players feared getting injured and not being able to compete in the playoffs.”
The Lowell charter school said it supports the coach’s decision and reiterated “its values of both inclusivity and safety for all students.”
“We take the standards set by the MIAA and our Board of Trustees seriously and strive to uphold them on and off the court,” the school added. “We also follow the guidance from the MIAA and state laws regarding equity and access for all student-athletes.”
Gaines went on Fox News this week to discuss the incident and Massachusetts laws for high school sports.
“It’s incredibly hard for these schools to protect these girls when they have no jurisdiction to do so,” Gaines said. “The state doesn’t protect these girls.”
She applauded the Lowell coach for forfeiting the game.
“That’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Gaines said. “I believe the girls should sit on the court. I believe the men’s basketball teams should sit on the court. And what we really need to see desperately across this nation is parents willing to take a stand. We need moms and dads who are willing to defend their daughters.”
This incident between the Lowell and Lynn schools comes a few months after a high-profile incident during a local field hockey game.
A Swampscott High School boy player’s shot struck a Dighton-Rehoboth High School player in the face, sending her to the hospital with significant facial and dental injuries. The incident led to shrieks and tears all over the field hockey pitch.
The viral shot from the male player led to calls for gender rule changes for high school sports, especially when it comes to girls’ field hockey. In Massachusetts, a boy can play on a girls’ team if that sport is not offered in the school for the boy.