Trans basketball star claims SHE is at ‘major disadvantage’ playing against biological women
A transgender college basketball player has made the bold claim that she has a “major biological deficit,” despite her record-breaking success on the court.
Harriette Mackenzie, 21, leads Vancouver Island in points, rebounds and blocks this season, and previously broke five women’s basketball records at Mount Royal University, her previous school.
But despite this, Mackenzie, a biological male, claims she is at a major “competitive” disadvantage when playing against women on the field.
She explained that she started transitioning in “kindergarten or first grade,” saying, “I play with a major biological deficit.
“I’ve never experienced male puberty, only female puberty.”
She then added, “I believe all transgender people should be involved in sports.”
Harriette Mackenzie claims she has a ‘major biological disadvantage’ when playing against women
The 6-foot-1 forward has made headlines in recent months amid claims she was subjected to both physical and verbal abuse by a recent opponent and his coach.
Mackenzie and her Vancouver Island University teammates were scheduled to play twice this weekend against Columbia Bible College (CBC) in Abbotsford, BC, but claim they don’t feel safe enough to do so.
The two schools played a pair of games on back-to-back days in October and trans player Mackenzie has accused CBC coach Taylor Claggett of encouraging rough play against her.
In a video posted to Instagram on Oct. 30, she said also alleged that Claggett “corned” a Vancouver Island staffer and insisted she should not be allowed to play women’s basketball during a “rant” after their first game.
Mackenzie – who stands at 6-foot-1 – leads Vancouver Island 11-1 in points, rebounds and blocks
The next morning, Mackenzie also received a call from her upset coach who wanted to warn her about social media posts posted by someone close to Claggett.
The messages were harshly critical of Mackenzie, saying “keep women’s sports, women’s sports,” “make a joke” and “make it logical.”
Mackenzie, who began her transition in kindergarten and had never experienced male puberty, also accused CBC of “trying to hurt me” during the second match between the two schools.
In her Instagram post, she quoted a clip of her being thrown to the ground by a CBC player and a second in which Claggett appeared to cheer the action on the sidelines.
Mackenzie began her transition in kindergarten and had never experienced male puberty
A CBC statement at the time said Claggett “spoke out for the safety of her players, as any good coach would do.”
Claggett also posted on Instagram that the allegations were “simply not true to who I am and what I believe as a person, as a coach and as a leader.”
“We stand with Taylor Claggett and all of our coaches in raising their legitimate concerns about the safety of our student-athletes,” the school’s statement said.
All 13 players on the Vancouver Island University roster have signed a letter to the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST), the conference in which both teams compete, emphasizing that they do not feel safe playing CBC.