A Christian high school in Merced has forfeited a girls volleyball playoff game due to a transgender student-athlete playing for the other team.
The school, Stone Ridge Christian, said it has a responsibility to care for the health and safety of its student-athletes.
The big picture: Stone Ridge Christian beat North Hills Christian to advance to the state playoffs to face San Francisco Waldorf.
- San Francisco Waldorf has a biological male playing on the girls volleyball team, according to Stone Ridge Christian.
- Stone Ridge Christian has forfeited the game, meaning the team’s season is over.
What they’re saying: Stone Ridge Christian administrator Julie Fagundes sent out an announcement to its families last Friday regarding the forfeit.
- “At SRC, we believe God’s Word is authoritative and infallible. It is Truth. And as Genesis makes clear, God wonderfully and immutably created each person as male or female. We do not believe sex is changeable and we do not intend to participate in events that send a different message,” Fagundes said in a statement.
- The statement continued, “We also have a duty and responsibility to care for the health and safety of our athletes. So after consulting with our students, coaches, and staff, we have made the difficult decision to forfeit Saturday’s game. Standing for Biblical truth means more than the outcome of a game.”
- Fagundes said the end of the season is heartbreaking and asked the community to congratulate the student-athletes on the girls volleyball team.
