A high school field hockey team in Massachusetts is refusing to compete against another girls’ team because it includes a transgender athlete on the roster.
The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District released a statement on Tuesday announcing that the school had decided to forfeit this week’s girls’ field hockey game against Somerset Berkley Regional High School due to a transgender opponent on their roster.
The decision comes as a result of a recent school policy that allows players and/or coaches to opt out of any games or competitions against an opposing team that “includes a member of the opposite sex.”
Dighton-Rehoboth has officially put its new policy to use. They’ve just forfeited a field hockey game against Somerset Berkley on Sept. 17. pic.twitter.com/plLayJV6S5
— Tyler Hetu (@TheTylerHetu) September 9, 2024
“In accordance with School Committee Police JJIB – Interscholastic Athletics, whose updates were approved by the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School Committee on June 25, 2024, the District has notified Somerset Berkley Regional High School that we will be forfeiting the Field Hockey contest scheduled for September 17,” the school district’s statement said.
“Our Field Hockey coaches and captains made this decision, and we notified our opponent accordingly,” the statement continued. “The District supports this decision as there are times where we have to place a higher value on safety than on victory. We understand this forfeit will impact our chances for a league championship and possibly playoff eligibility, but we remain hopeful that other schools consider following suit to achieve safety and promote fair competition for female athletes.”
The debate surrounding transgender athletes in sports has become one of the most hotly debated topics in America in recent months and years, and this is certainly going to add to that debate.
