Mid Vermont Christian School forfeited a girls’ basketball game against a team with a self-proclaimed transgender player back in 2023.
The school was then kicked out of the state’s sports league.
But the school won a $566,000 settlement after they and an impacted family filed suit, according to an April 29 release from the Alliance Defending Freedom.
The Vermont Principals Association removed Mid Vermont Christian School from the league back in 2023, even though transgenderism violates their religious convictions.
The case against the Vermont Principals Association eventually advanced to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
The court ruled in September 2025 that Vermont must permit the school to continue taking part in the organization.
The Vermont Principals Association agreed to pay $566,000, which will cover damages and attorneys’ fees, as well as partially settle the lawsuit.
Mid Vermont Christian School basketball coach Chris Goodwin and Alliance Defending Freedom attorney David Cortman join @foxandfriends ahead of a court hearing to address the school’s removal from games for forfeiting against a trans player. pic.twitter.com/AiCSV0JwsH
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 8, 2025
Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel David Cortman commended the move, saying that “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.”
“For more than two years, state officials denied Mid Vermont Christian School a public benefit available to all other schools in Vermont just because it stood by the widely held, biblical belief that boys and girls are different,” he continued.
“There’s a price to pay for violating constitutional rights for Christian schools and students.”
Beyond transgenderism violating traditional Christian beliefs on sexual ethics, as well as denying biological reality, pitting girls against boys in high school sports can be highly dangerous.
A male player claiming transgender identity drew national attention in 2024 for allegedly injuring three girls during a high school basketball game, as reported by the Boston Herald.
Chris Goodwin, coach of the girls’ basketball team at Mid Vermont Christian School, said in the release from Alliance Defending Freedom that “I never thought I would be in court for simply adhering to my Christian and commonsense belief that boys and girls are different.”
“At Mid Vermont Christian School, we strive to exemplify biblical truth in and through everything we do,” he remarked.
“We’re grateful for our legal team at Alliance Defending Freedom who helped us get back in the game,” Goodwin added.
“As a coach, I always want my team to play in fair and safe competitions. As a dad, I want my daughter to know that she should always stand up for her beliefs and should never be punished for that decision.”
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