A girls volleyball team in California has dropped out of the state playoffs after learning that their upcoming opponents had a male playing on their team. Stone Ridge Christian School announced the “heartbreaking” end to their season in a letter to parents sent out yesterday.
Stone Ridge Christian School had advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation State Girls Volleyball Championship regional semifinals after coming out victorious against North Hills Christian School on November 14. But what should have been a celebratory moment ahead of a critical game was quickly soured after the coaches at Stone Ridge became aware that their student athletes would be matched to play against a team with a biological male.
The match, which was scheduled for tonight, had been against San Francisco Waldorf, a school that has previously come under controversy for allowing trans-identified male players to compete with the girls.
“As many of you know, our girls won on Wednesday and advanced to the state playoffs. Unfortunately, we were just informed that our opponent, San Francisco Waldorf, has a male athlete playing for their team,” the letter sent out to parents by Stone Ridge Christian reads.
“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.”
The letter was first shared to X by women’s rights advocate Beth Bourne.
San Francisco Waldorf will now automatically advance to the Northern California regional championship final.
Waldorf’s male player has been identified by Reduxx as Henry Hanlon, a senior who also plays for the San Francisco Waldorf girls varsity basketball team.
As previously reported by Reduxx in January, Hanlon’s participation in girls basketball prompted Averroes High School to forfeit a match against Waldorf. While Averroes declined to confirm Hanlon’s presence is what prompted the forfeiture, Averroes is an Islamic school, and sources close to the matter speculated that the hesitancy to compete against Waldorf was due to religious objections regarding the Muslim girls risking physical contact with the male player.
Reduxx has reviewed past game footage featuring Hanlon, which confirms he displays an obvious physical advantage over his female teammates.
Speaking to Reduxx, Julie Lane of Women Are Real condemned Waldorf for allowing Hanlon to continue playing in girls sports.
“It is absolutely unfair for girls to have to compete against boys in their own sports category. Categories exist for a reason, including, in some sports, weight, age, and para-ability. Everybody – sports leagues, schools, parents, coaches – agreed with this common sense approach until very recently,” Lane says.
Lane’s group, Women Are Real, has been documenting Waldorf’s refusal to remove Hanlon from the girls team and has attended several games to confirm that he has a significant physical advantage over his female competitors.
In January, one member of Women Are Real reported that she was assaulted by Waldorf administrator Craig Appel while being prevented from peacefully attending a Waldorf game in support of the female students.
“Our members have been attending, as witnesses, these high school and college games where males have infiltrated. We heard girls on the opposing team last year discussing how the boy was using the girls bathroom the year prior. They had buddied up when they went to the bathroom together, just in case he did it again. And, we noted that the team with the boy avoided using the bathroom before their game, likely in ‘solidarity’ with their teammate. These girls have all been gaslit, and avoided a normal thing … going to the bathroom before a game … because one boy was allowed in.”
While disappointed that young female athletes are being forced to bear the brunt of the Waldorf’s decision to allow a boy to play on the girls team, Lane applauds the schools that have forfeited against Waldorf for taking a stance.
“For the opposing teams that are standing against this travesty, it is incredibly brave to stand up and say no … It is sad and traumatizing to work all your life at a skill, build a strong team, make it to the playoffs, and suddenly end your season and budding career due to one confused boy,” Lane continues.
“The adults in the room are to blame. Everyone has to stand up and say no to this dangerous and foolish idea that the feelings of a boy who is confused take precedence over the safety and dignity and opportunity of so many girls. It affects everyone and is a life-changing trauma to lose your hard earned chance to play and succeed, and even lose college scholarship opportunities. Women and society fought for female sports and spaces, and it’s up to everyone to bring them back. Male athletes can play on male teams. It’s that simple. And, no one gets everything they want all the time.”
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