Basketball Team’s Full Court Press for Religious Liberty Pays Off

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Above: Mid Vermont Christian School basketball players outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York City on April 9, 2025 (Photo Credit: Alliance Defending Freedom).

A Christian school in Vermont recently won a major legal victory — and the price tag for violating its constitutional rights was steep.

The Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) believes that human beings are created either male or female. In 2023, the MVCS girls’ basketball team decided to forfeit a game rather than violate its religious convictions by forcing its girls to play against a team with a male player. But the Vermont Principals Association decided to punish the school for forfeiting the game by kicking it out of the sports league. That led to a major court battle — and a victory for MVCS.

Now the Vermont Principals Association has agreed to pay a $566,000 settlement for damages and attorneys’ fees to Mid Vermont Christian School.

Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom represented the school in court. ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman put it plainly: “The government cannot punish religious schools — and the families they serve — by permanently kicking them out of state-sponsored sports simply because the state disagrees with their religious beliefs.”

Stories like this one are part of the reason Arkansas passed Act 461 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R — Smackover) in 2021 to protects fairness in women’s sports in Arkansas.

Letting men compete in women’s sports is unfair and reverses 50 years of advancements for women. Female cyclists, swimmers, powerlifters, sprinters, volleyball players, and others have seen their sports radically changed by men who claim to be women. In some cases it can even be dangerous.

Right now the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a federal case that could affect state laws like Arkansas’ Act 461. Family Council joined dozens of state policy organizations and more than 200 state legislators in a legal brief in that case last September.

Most Americans agree that athletes should compete according to their biological sex — not their gender identity. This settlement between Mid Vermont Christian School and the Vermont Principals Association is a victory for religious freedom, fairness in girls’ sports, and common sense.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Trump Administration Sues Minnesota Department of Education for Violating Fairness in Girls’ Sports

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Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League for letting biological males compete in girls’ athletics.

The complaint filed in federal court says Minnesota’s policies violate Title IX — the federal law that guarantees equal educational opportunities for both sexes. The DOJ argues that letting boys compete in sports designated for girls is sex discrimination.

The facts in the lawsuit are striking. One male student has pitched and batted for a girls’ varsity softball team since at least 2023. In 2025, he led his team to a championship tournament, was named to the All-Tournament Team, and set school records — all while competing against all-girl teams. The DOJ says athletes like this one displaced girls who deserved a fair shot at competition.

We have written repeatedly about how women’s athletics is at risk of being erased in America.

Letting men compete in women’s sports reverses 50 years of advancements for women. It hampers girls’ abilities to compete for athletic scholarships, and it hurts their professional opportunities as adults. In some sports, it can even be dangerous.

Concerned Women for America estimates that more than 1,900 male athletes who claim to be female have taken first place medals away from women and girls.

Arkansas has already taken great steps to protect fairness in women’s sports. In 2021, Arkansas passed Act 461 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R — Smackover) preventing male student athletes from competing against girls in women’s athletics at school. This good law protects fairness in women’s sports in Arkansas.

Right now the U.S. Supreme Court is considering laws from West Virginia and Idaho that are similar to Act 461. If the Court rules against these protections, it could affect states like Arkansas.

That’s why Family Council joined dozens of state policy organizations and more than 200 state legislators in a legal brief in the case last September.

Girls deserve a fair playing field. That shouldn’t be controversial. It’s common sense.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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These Two U.S. Supreme Court Cases Could Affect Arkansas Law

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Between now and the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court will issue decisions in two court cases that could affect whether states like Arkansas are free to preserve fairness in women’s athletic programs.

Over the past ten years, female swimmers, powerlifters, cyclists, sprinters, volleyball players, and many others have seen their sports radically changed by men who claim to be women. In some sports, it can even be dangerous.

That’s why many states have enacted good laws clarifying that biological males who identify as female cannot compete in women’s athletic programs. Unfortunately, some of those laws have been challenged in court.

In 2020, Idaho passed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act preventing male student-athletes from competing against girls in women’s athletics at school. The following year, West Virginia passed the Save Women’s Sports Act, which is very similar to Idaho’s law. The ACLU challenged both laws, and both lawsuits have been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The case concerning Idaho’s law is Little v. Hecox. In West Virginia, the case is West Virginia v. B.P.J.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in both cases on January 13 of this year, and the Court could issue final decisions in the cases sometime between now and June 26.

The Supreme Court’s decision in these cases could affect laws protecting fairness in women’s sports nationwide — including Arkansas.

In 2021, Arkansas passed Act 461 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R — Smackover) preventing male student-athletes from competing against girls in women’s athletics at school. Family Council was pleased to support Act 461 at the state legislature.

Act 461 has not been challenged in court — meaning the law is in full effect, protecting fairness in women’s sports in Arkansas.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions in Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. could affect Act 461 and laws like it across the country. That’s why Family Council joined dozens of state policy organizations and more than 200 state legislators in an amicus brief in the Idaho case last September. The amicus brief highlights the opportunities that women’s athletics offer to students, and it urges the Supreme Court to uphold the law and protect women’s sports.

Most Americans agree that athletes should compete according to their biological sex — not their gender identity. We believe the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately will uphold fairness in women’s sports in Idaho, West Virginia, and the rest of the country.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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