I coached girls basketball at a tiny Christian school in Vermont and we chose to forfeit a playoff game rather than compete against a male athlete on a girls team, then watched state officials punish our whole school for standing by our beliefs; we sued, won reinstatement from the appeals court, and reached a settlement on the sports ban while other fights over public benefits continue.
Our school, Mid-Vermont Christian School, is small and tight knit, the kind of place where faith and community guide daily life. I coach the girls team and my daughter plays guard, so this was never abstract for us. When we learned a playoff opponent would field a male on its girls squad, everything changed fast.
After discussion with administrators, board members and parents, we made a hard call: forfeit rather than tacitly accept the idea that biological sex is negotiable. That choice came from faith and from concern for fairness and safety for our girls. It was a painful competitive loss, but we felt it was the right stand for our community.
Our school issued a short statement explaining the decision, and instead of dialogue we got a punitive response. The state association booted us out of league play after decades of participation. That alone should have been the extent of an administrative penalty, but Vermont officials pushed further.
They barred our students from all state-run academic and extracurricular contests, including geography bees, science and math fairs, and debate leagues. Suddenly our kids were shut out of the statewide activities that build confidence and college resumes. This felt less like enforcement and more like religious punishment.
We believed the exclusion was a violation of our First Amendment rights and showed hostility toward our faith. Religious liberty makes room for communities to live and teach by their convictions without government retribution. When officials act like the government has to agree with you to let you participate, that is a constitutional red flag.
With legal help from Alliance Defending Freedom, we filed suit to restore our place in the athletic association and to address the broader exclusions. In September, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit sided with us and ordered that our school be allowed back into the league. That court win was a huge morale booster for our students and families.
Back in competition our girls took off; the team reached the state semifinals the first year after reinstatement. That felt like vindication for our program and our players. The courtroom victory was practical as well as symbolic: it returned opportunities and stopped a pattern of discrimination.
We also reached a settlement with the Vermont Principals Association over the sports ban, and the association agreed to compensate the school. That settlement recognized there are consequences when public bodies treat religious schools differently from others. For our families the victory was about more than money; it was about being treated like equal participants in community life.
Our legal fight is not finished, though. State officials have kept our school out of certain public benefit programs, including the tuition assistance program that helps many families. Our attorneys are pressing those claims so our students can fully access the same supports other kids receive.
This whole episode should remind people that religious freedom and fair treatment are not abstract slogans but everyday rights parents and educators rely on. Families who teach their children according to deeply held beliefs must be able to compete, learn and participate without punishment from the state. I expect the courts will continue to push back when government crosses that line and treats religious schools as second class.
