A North Carolina female volleyball team belonging to the Highlands School has had its games cancelled by the school district after a trans player injured an opponent during a match, according to a report by the National Desk. 

During the game, the trans player in question hurled the ball at a girl in the opponent team from Hiwassee Dam and struck her in the face, leading to “severe head and neck injuries, resulting in long-term concussion symptoms”, reported the Education First Alliance.

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The Cherokee County School Board has now moved to ensure that other female players are protected against “unfair advantage” as well as injury from having to play against an opponent who is not biologically a female. This was reported to News Channel 9 by board member Arnold Mathews.

Another board member, Joe Wood, said to Education First, “I think the odds (of injury) in these non-contact sports aren’t high. But in particular, in this meeting, a coach of 40 years said they’d never seen a hit like this. That was really what sealed the decision, at least on my part”.

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However, some local residents have not been happy with the decision, with one saying to News Channel 9, “All the events for one incident… it’s not right. There’s risk getting out of bed in the morning, crossing the street, and going to the store”, further adding, “I’m sure the teammate that did get hurt, wants them to go out there and fight for it, right? That’s what we do.”

The Education First website has cited a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research to show that a biologically male player can be more dominant if he has to play against a female. It has also cited Fédération Internationale de Natation’s (FINA) voting where transgender participation in female events has been restricted in swimming.