Harriette Mackenzie leads all VIU players in points this season, and says she was targeted by opposition over the weekend because she's a trans-athlete. (VIU Mariners)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

VIU athlete speaks out

Nanaimo trans basketball player accuses opponents of physical and verbal attacks

Nov 1, 2024 | 10:49 AM

NANAIMO — One of Vancouver Island University’s top women’s basketball players says she was targeted because of her gender during a game.

Harriette Mackenzie published a video to her Instagram account on Wednesday, Oct. 30 accusing staff and players at Abbotsford-based Columbia Bible College (CBC), who VIU played the previous weekend, of physical and verbal torment because she is a trans-woman.

Mackenzie said the situation began after a game on Friday, Oct. 25 at the VIU gym where she said an altercation happened between CBC coach Taylor Claggett and a member of the VIU athletic staff, involving Claggett allegedly being “on a tirade about how I shouldn’t be allowed to play.”

The situation evolved Friday night and into Saturday morning.

“I woke up to a call from my coach who was on the verge of tears. He asked if I was okay and if I was aware of the situation on social media. After the night before’s game, Taylor Claggett’s brother and business partner Kyle Claggett had posted…on his Instagram story.”

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An account attributed to Kyle Claggett had posted messages under the story feature, which last only 24 hours, with captions including “Keep women’s sports, WOMENS SPORTS! complete joke!” and “You have girls that have dreams to play post secondary basketball and when they end up making it they have to play against a MALE! Unreal. Make it make sense.”

Both posts also included tagging PACWEST, the B.C. league VIU and CBC play in, and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).

In the second leg of a doubleheader on Saturday, Oct. 26, Mackenzie said VIU got out to a lead and she noticed a big shift in the treatment she received from CBC players.

She posted video of a hard foul from a CBC player, where Mackenzie appeared to be forcibly thrown to the ground.

“Sadly, situations like these are nothing new to me,” Mackenzie said in her video. “Throughout my entire playing career I’ve been outed and attacked by everyone from players to coaches to fans. They try to invalidate my achievements from player of the year to national MVP, claiming ‘she only won them because she’s trans’.”

Mackenzie added her transition as a trans-woman started in kindergarten and she never entered male puberty.

She also said her testosterone levels are significantly lower than cis-women, while her height, listed as 6’2″, could easily be attributed to her parents who were both very tall, collegiate athletes.

“In the past, I’ve dealt with these situations by keeping my head down and hoping they blow over, saying nothing and not wanting to draw attention to myself. But guess what? I’m done. Done staying silent while harmful narratives make today’s queer youth feel as if they don’t belong in sport. Done pretending I’ve done anything to be ashamed of. I’m proud of my story.”

Mackenzie, who’s from the Comox Valley, is VIU’s leading scorer through four games this season, registering 59 points in 80 minutes of game action.

In her third year at the school, Mackenzie started 17 games last season and scored 324 points and helped her team to a CCAA National Championship.

In a statement, Columbia Bible College said it feels Mackenzie’s video “does not accurately represent all the events that took place” and Taylor Claggett was “speaking out for the safety of her players like any good coach would do.”

Claggett responded to the situation via a post on her own social media account, saying Mackenzie’s video was “scripted to show one side of a story that is highly inaccurate”.

“I have, and always will love people for who they are and who they want to be. I have coached and taught kids from many walks of life and have fought for them to have equal rights in the classroom and on the court.”

Claggett said she had “concerns around the safety of female athletes” but those concerns do not reflect specific athletes but rather overall safety.

A statement from PACWEST issued Friday, Nov. 1 said the association is “dedicated to providing all student-athletes with the opportunity to freely participate in competition. All student-athletes deserve an inclusive environment free of harassment where respect and personal dignity are guiding values. Intimidation or harassment of PACWEST student-athletes will not be tolerated.”

The statement added any participation in sport by transgender student-athletes falls under national guidelines from the CCAA.

— with files from The Canadian Press

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