A Massachusetts high school has made the controversial decision to forfeit a girls' field hockey game against another school that allows biological male players on its roster.
The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District in Massachusetts has decided to forfeit its upcoming field hockey game against Somerset Berkley Regional High School due to the latter school's roster including a biologically male athlete.
The decision was made after coaches and team captains convened to discuss their concerns about safety and fair competition. The district's announcement cited that safety takes precedence over victory and expressed the hope that other schools would follow suit to promote fair competition for female athletes.
High School Forfeits Field Hockey Game Due to Transgender Player
The decision stems from an incident last year when a Dighton-Rehoboth player suffered significant facial and dental injuries that required hospitalization after being hit in the face by a shot from a biological male player from Swampscott High School.
In the wake of the incident, field hockey captain Kelsey Bain wrote a letter to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) calling for a change in policy. She cited the danger posed by male athletes playing on girls' teams and urged the MIAA to establish a separate division for boys' field hockey.
High School Forfeits Field Hockey Game Due to Transgender Player
According to a report from the New Boston Post, 41 boys played on girls' field hockey teams during the 2019-20 school year. Bain expressed concern that more boys would join these teams if mixed-gender teams were allowed to continue.
The MIAA released a statement acknowledging the safety concerns raised but emphasized the importance of inclusion. The statement maintained that student safety has not been a successful defense for excluding students of one gender from participating on teams of the opposite gender.
Bain responded to the MIAA's statement by pointing to the substantial damage that a male player can cause to a female opponent and questioned how many injuries would be tolerated before the MIAA recognized the disparity in physical ability and the need to separate boys' and girls' sports.
The Dighton-Rehoboth school district's decision has sparked debate and raised questions about the balance between safety, inclusion, and fair competition in youth sports. It remains to be seen how other schools and athletic organizations will respond to this issue.
