Trans woman playing women’s university hoops complains about treatment

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A transgender athlete at Vancouver Island University has taken to social media to speak out against mistreatment at the hands of her opponents from Columbia Bible College in a women’s basketball game last weekend.

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VIU forward Harriette Mackenzie recorded a video post to Instagram on Wednesday stating she had to stand up against the mistreatment.

In the post, Mackenzie alleges the Columbia Bible College Bearcats’ coach, Taylor Claggett, “cornered one of our athletic staff and went on a tirade about how I shouldn’t be allowed to play,” after a 69-56 loss to VIU in Nanaimo on Friday.

VIU beat the Bearcats again, by a 73-58 count on Saturday, and Mackenzie says in the video the Bearcats’ “tactic had shifted to simply trying to injure me.”

Mackenzie showed a video highlight of the game of her being pulled down under the hoop by a Columbia college player. Mackenzie also showed a highlight of Claggett on the bench applauding.

“Sadly, situations like this are nothing new to me,” Mackenzie continued, looking directly into the camera. “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 because he’s trans.’ Many attribute my success not to my hard work and dedication, but to the fact that I am a trans woman.

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“These people don’t know my story and they don’t care to. They don’t care but I began my transition in kindergarten (and have) never undergone a male puberty. They don’t care that my testosterone levels are 1/10 of a cis woman due to the absence of reproductive organs, putting me at a significant competitive disadvantage. They don’t care.

“Instead, they’re fuelled by their shared bigotry and ignorance.

“They attribute my athletic ability and my 6-foot-2 frame not to my parents, both varsity basketball player in the 95th percentile for height, but to the fact that I am a trans woman. In the past, I’ve dealt with these situations by keeping my head down and hoping they blow over, saying nothing, not wanting to draw attention to myself.

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“But guess what? I’m done. Done letting ignorant … folks like Taylor and her crew spew hate against me and my community. Done staying silent while harmful narratives make today’s queer youth feel as though they don’t belong in sport. Done pretending like I have anything to be ashamed of.

“I’m proud of my story, and I want to make something very clear: queer, trans and non binary people belong in sport, and there’s zero space in this league for hate violence and bigotry.”

Columbia Bible College released a statement Thursday night. It confirmed that Claggett talked to a member of the VIU athletic department after Friday’s game, categorizing it as expressing “her concerns for the safety of female athletes on the CBC women’s basketball team. These concerns included the play of a 6’2″ transgender athlete.”

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According to the statement, the athletic directors from the two schools had a phone conversation after the two games and discussed how each school would bring concerns regarding the weekend events to the Pacific West Athletic Association, the governing body for B.C. university and college league.

“The safety of our female students, both on and off the court, is a high priority at CBC,” the statement continued. “We believe the issue of transgender participation in female college sports is a complex and important discussion. It is an issue that governing sports bodies across the world are wrestling with.”

Columbia Bible College also backs Claggett, explaining she was “speaking out for the safety of her players like any good coach would do.”

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“It is in the view of CBC that this scripted video does not accurately represent all the events that took place,” the statement explains. “As a result of the video post, false comment and online harassment have been directed at Taylor Claggett, CBC Bearcats players, along with coaches and other employees. These comments are completely inappropriate and should not happen in college sports. They have created an unsafe environment for our players and employees.”

The PacWest posted a statement on its website Thursday supporting transgender athletes.

“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,” the statement read.

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It said the conference for B.C. universities and colleges follows national polices and procedures set out by the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association. The association permits athletes to compete on the sport team that corresponds with “either their sex assigned at birth or their gender identity,” provided that the student athlete is in compliance with the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. 

The statement didn’t say whether it was doing any further investigating into the incident.

PacWest features teams from VIU, Columbia, Camosun College, Capilano University, the College of the Rockies, Douglas College, Langara College and Okanagan College.

A VIU media relations representative sent this prepared statement: “The VIU Mariners are dedicated to supporting every member of our team. We fully comply with the regulations and guidelines set by the CCAA (Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association) and PacWest, following all standards outlined and approved by these governing organizations.”

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PacWest has not responded to a request for an interview.

Mackenzie, who’s from Comox, was named most valuable player of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association nationals in 2023 after helping VIU defeat Saint-Jean-Sur Richelieu 60-54 in the final at Mohawk College in Hamilton. Mackenzie had 17 points and 19 rebounds in that contest.

She was named PacWest player of the year that season after averaging 19.1 points and 14.9 rebounds per game in the regular season. 

Mackenzie played last season for the Mount Royal Cougars, a Calgary university that plays in the Canada West Conference. She returned to VIU for this season. The Mariners’ season has just started. Mackenzie is averaging 14.8 points per game and 8.8 rebounds for 4-0 VIU.

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@SteveEwen

SEwen@postmedia.com

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