A federal appeals court has tossed a ban that prevented a Vermont Christian school from participating in sports competitions.
According to WCAX, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York on Tuesday granted an injunction saying Mid-Vermont Christian School should be reinstated into the Vermont Principals’ Association.
Mid-Vermont Christian School students haven't been able to play state-sponsored sports for over two years after the school's girls' basketball team forfeited a game against a team with a transgender student on the roster.
The school said at the time it “jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.”
The Vermont Principals' Association then banned the team from competition over the forfeit, saying at the time, “It is a myth that transgender students endanger others when they participate in high school sports or create unfair competition.”
The schooled, seeking an injunction. A federal judge denied the preliminary injunction but the appeals court on Tuesday sided with the school, saying the school was “likely to succeed in showing that the VPA’s expulsion of Mid Vermont was not neutral because it displayed hostility toward the school’s religious beliefs.”
“I’m hopeful that other schools will recognize that Mid Vermont Christian had a right to follow its religious convictions. That’s what it did here, and they’ll work with them moving forward,” said Jake Reed with Alliance Defending Freedom who represented Mid Vermont Christian in the case.
