A group of collegiate basketball players in B.C. say they will not play a pair of games against another team in their division this weekend due to alleged verbal and physical mistreatment of a transgender teammate they say has not been addressed.
All 13 players on the Vancouver Island University Mariners squad have signed a letter saying they do not feel safe playing at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.C.
Mackenzie, who is transgender, said the visiting team’s coach, Taylor Claggett, went on a “tirade” after losing on Oct. 25, yelling at a Mariners staff member about how Mackenzie shouldn’t be allowed to play against women. A social media account linked to Claggett also posted anti-trans messages after the game.
The two sides played again on Oct. 26 and Mackenzie claimed her opponents physically targeted her. She shared a video from the game where, away from the ball, a Columbia player tosses Mackenzie to the ground.
The entitlement and drama from the Columbia Bible College basketball Team when they’re only guests is completely unacceptable.