B.C. Bible College coach suspended amid trans athlete controversy

PACWEST suspends the women's basketball coach to Columbia Bible College, further disadvantaging female athletes already competing against a 6'2 "trans identifying" star.

Drea Humphrey
  |   February 08, 2025   |   News   |   1 Comment

 

 

The Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) has quietly suspended Taylor Claggett, coach for women's basketball at Columbia Bible College (CBC) without explanation.

The decision follows pressure from rival Vancouver Island University (VIU) and their "trans identifying" athlete, Harriette Mackenzie, who allegedly felt "unsafe" playing against CBC, their strongest competitors.

Mackenzie claimed she fell victim to "transphobia and hate" after being fouled by a CBC player and a supposed "tirade" by Claggett over the athlete playing women's basketball.

In a statement, Claggett and CBC previously denied the allegations of bigotry and attacks against Claggett's character. The Christian college explained that Claggett conversed with a representative of the Mariners' Athletic Department on safety concerns for her players.

Meanwhile, VIU remains in first place, with "record breaker" Mackenzie significantly outperforming her teammates in several key statistical categories.

The suspension represents a devastating blow to CBC players, now entering a crucial time in their basketball careers without their head coach, Regular season games are nearing their conclusion before national championships begin.

PACWEST's February 4 statement on the controversial decision was unusually vague and lacking transparency, avoiding any specific mention of Claggett's suspension.

Instead, it says they "concluded its investigation into an incident involving two of our member institutions. A decision has been communicated to the relevant parties, and the matter is now considered closed," adding there would be no further comments on the matter.

In responding statements published yesterday, CBC called the ruling "unfair" and confirmed it is taking steps to appeal the Association's decision. "We do not believe that a proper process was followed or that the results were fair," the College wrote, while reaffirming support for its players and staff.

Adding further insult to injury, CBC was also stripped as host for the 2025 PACWEST Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, an honor that sources tell Rebel News will likely be given to Capilano University. PACWEST has yet to publicly confirm its authenticity at the time of publication.

Mackenzie, formerly Declan and Harriette Cunningham, is a seasoned trans activist who was dominating females in sports at a young age.

In 2023, Mackenzie was the MVP of nationals, PACWEST Player of the Year for basketball and across all sports. The "trans identifying" athlete was also named to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian, and a first-team PACWEST all-star.

VIU's own athletics department celebrated Mackenzie as the "Record Breaker" for leading in total rebounds, offensive rebounds, free throws, playoff points, and double-doubles.

Meanwhile, in a viral video posted to Instagram, Mackenzie claimed to be at a "significant competitive disadvantage" to female competitors.

PACWEST's punishment of the CBC team concerned with safety and fairness in their sport is a stark contrast to common sense initiatives returning to women's sports across the border.

On February 5, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," to shield female athletes from having to compete against biological males. Most Americans (70%) believe sports eligibility should be based on biological sex, according to Gallup's 2024 Values and Beliefs survey.

"My administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes, we’re just not going to let it happen," Trump said Wednesday from the Oval Office.

Promptly following Trump's order, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) health and safety department announced that "a student-athlete assigned male at birth may not compete on a women's team."

Thousands of "trans identifying" athletes in the U.S. have captured some 3,500 victories across 11,000 competitions, according to Trump. 

The White House adds this "lunacy" has cost girls scholarship opportunities and other important mental and emotional milestones.

While America moves toward protecting female athletes in their sport, sporting bodies in Canada are not likely to follow suit. "From now on, women’s sports will be only for women," Trump said.

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Drea Humphrey

B.C. Bureau Chief

Based in British Columbia, Drea Humphrey reports on Western Canada for Rebel News. Drea’s reporting is not afraid to challenge political correctness, or ask the tough questions that mainstream media tends to avoid.

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2025-02-10 23:22:27 -0500
    Persecution starts small and grows as it becomes acceptable in society. It was that way in Nazi Germany and now we see it creaping into western lands. Nowadays, it’s trans bullies who are pushing Bible school teams around. Let’s hope Pierre Poilieve copies Donald Trump and defunds wokeness.