The coach of a high school girls basketball team in Massachusetts forfeited a game at halftime earlier this month after a biological male playing for the other team had injured three of his players during the physical game.
The coach for Collegiate Charter School of Lowell called it quits during a Feb. 8 game after watching a third girl get hurt against the KIPP Academy team, which featured a 6-foot player with facial hair, according to Fox News.
It is permissible for biological males to play on girls' teams in Massachusetts, per the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), the governing body for high school athletics. Regardless, KIPP refused to confirm the bearded player's gender identification.
KIPP Academy does have a boys team.
Collegiate Charter School coach Kevin Ortins had played KIPP earlier in the season, and lost, and was aware of the male playing for KIPP, the school's athletic director said.
"Coach (Ortins) knew going into the game, already, because we had them at home the first game of the year and nothing happened then, so he knew going into the game," Collegiate Charter School of Lowell Athletic Director Kyle Pelczar told The Daily Item.
The school released a statement days later backing its coach's decision to forfeit while also promoting "inclusivity and safety."
"The bench was already depleted going into the game with the 12-player roster having four players unable to play," the school said in a statement on Feb. 16. "When the coach saw three more girls go down in the first half leaving him with five players, he made the call to end the game early. The upcoming Charter School playoffs were looming, and he needed a healthy and robust bench in four days.
"Once the third was injured, the remaining five expressed concern to him about continuing to play," the statement went on. "The players feared getting injured and not being able to compete in the playoffs."
The story caught the attention of former top collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, who has advocated against boys/men competing against girls/women since going up against 6-foot-1 Lia Thomas, born Will Thomas, in the 2022 NCAA Division I national championships.
"A man hitting a woman used to be called domestic abuse. Now it's called brave," Gaines posted to X on Monday, including video from the game.
USA Boxing in December codified a rule allowing biological men to fight women in the amateur ranks, including the Olympics, in its 2024 rulebook.
While Section 43.3.1 of the MIAA rules states that "a student shall not be excluded from participation on a gender-specific sports team that is consistent with the student's bona fide gender identity," Section 43.3.2 says a student can't be on a roster "solely for the purpose of gaining an unfair advantage."
KIPP is 10-7 and has secured a spot in the MIAA Division 4 state tournament.