Advocates are coming to the defence of a trans athlete who plays basketball for Vancouver Island University.
Hariette MacKenzie was playing in a two-day weekend basketball tournament on Oct. 25 and 26.
The Vancouver Island University Mariners were playing against Columbia Bible College on Oct. 26 when in the third quarter MacKenzie was grabbed by an opposing player and thrown to the ground.
MacKenzie posted a video on Instagram after the incident, telling the story of what happened.
She said the Columbia Bible College head coach had cornered one of the Vancouver Island University athletic staff after the game on Oct. 25 and said MacKenzie should not be allowed to play in the game.
“Sadly, situations like these are nothing new to me,” MacKenzie said in the video.
“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 that because she’s trans. Many attribute my success not to hard work and dedication, but to the fact that I am a trans woman.”
MacKenzie said people do not know her story and do not care to.
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“They don’t care that I began my transition in kindergarten, never having undergone a male puberty. They don’t care that my testosterone levels are one-tenth that of a cis-woman due to the absence of reproductive organs placing me at a significant competitive disadvantage, they don’t care. Instead, they’re fuelled by their shared bigotry and ignorance.”
MacKenzie said she had previously kept her head down, not wanting to draw attention to herself but she could not stay silent this time.
“I’m done pretending like I have anything to be ashamed of,” she said.
“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 is zero space in this league for hate, violence and bigotry.”
MacKenzie declined Global News’ request for an interview.
Vancouver Island University and Columbia Bible College are members of the Pacific Western Athletic Association. Transgender athletes are allowed to play in the league as long as they abide by the anti-doping regulations.
In a statement to Global News, the organization said it is “very concerned regarding this incident and is taking this matter very seriously. First and foremost, our Conference does not tolerate intimidation or harassment of any of our student athletes for any such reason. Our student athletes deserve a safe and inclusive environment to participate in.”
They said they are still reviewing the allegations in order to come to a conclusion.
In another statement, Columbia Bible College said “Accusations that CBC’s coaches directed its players to intentionally hurt an opponent are simply untrue. We would point out that the CBC player was not ejected from the game, there was no injury on the play and the VIU player continued to play in the game.”
The college said the safety of its female athletes, both on and off the court, is a high priority.
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“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.”
The statement goes on to say that MacKenzie’s Instagram statement does not accurately portray what happened. It said the coach was speaking out for the safety of her players.
The coach also put out a statement on Instagram saying she has always loved people for who they are and who they want to be.
Carter Sawatzky, an advocate for trans equality, told Global News that unfortunately, the situation was not too surprising to see.
“This topic of trans people in sports around fairness and safety is fuelled by a lot of bad science and misinformation, which results in a lot of targeted discrimination against trans people like (MacKenzie),” they said.
“Trans people like (MacKenzie) shouldn’t have to divulge personal details about their lives and the public, vulnerable information just to be taken seriously, even though it’s so courageous of her, so admirable and love that she’s taking a stand and seeing kind of the support around her.”
Sawatzky said this issue isn’t going away anytime soon.
“Queer people need to rally together to defend ourselves, to build support and defend each other.”
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