It’s very rare to find men of God who are willing to take a stand even if it means having to give up a dream. Chris Goodwin is one of those men. He’s the head coach of the girls basketball program at Mid-Vermont Christian School.
Last year his team was bound for a championship. But to get there, the girls had to play rival Long Trail School in a playoff game. But there was a problem. Long Trail School allowed a boy to play on their team – a boy who identified as a girl.
Coach Goodwin told Fox News that posed quite a dilemma for the team and for him.
“I’ve got four daughters. I’ve coached them all at one point in their careers playing high school basketball. I’ve also filled in for the boy’s coach when he can’t make a practice, and I run those practices, and boys just play at a different speed, a different force … than the girls play,” the coach told Fox.
READ: 3 Female Basketball Players Injured by “Transgender” Player
“After discussions with the administration and our players and parents, we decided that instead of going against our religious beliefs that … there are differences between male and female, we are created differently, we decided to forfeit that game and withdraw from the tournament,” he continued.
But it turns out there was also another price to pay for doing the right thing. Every athletic team in the school got punished.
“The state of Vermont governing body kicked us out of all athletic competitions in the state.”
Alliance Defending Freedom, a law firm that handles religious liberty cases, filed a lawsuit against the Vermont Principals Association.
“The state is basically attempting to purge individuals like Chris and other family members in the state, from public discourse, from the ability … to speak out … on issues of significant, public concern,” attorney Ryan Tucker told Fox News.
The Vermont Principals Association said the small Christian school violating its policies regarding inclusivity.
“We withdrew from the tournament because we believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players,” school leader Vicky Fogg said. “Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”
This is why I am personally leading a campaign to raise money for Alliance Defending Freedom. They are representing the school pro bono. They don’t charge clients a single penny. It’s important for all of us to defend young people like the girl’s basketball team at Mid-Vermont Christian School.
Click here to join my campaign to raise money so ADF can continue to fight for our freedom.