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A high school in Massachusetts is refusing to apologize for playing a trans basketball player who reportedly “injured multiple players on the opposing team,” causing the rival school to forfeit.

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Collegiate Charter School, based in Lowell, Mass., was playing against KIPP Academy Lynn on Feb. 8 when coach Kevin Ortins stopped play following halftime after seeing several of his players suffer injuries.

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In a video shared on social media from the game, a Collegiate Charter player is seen fighting for a ball with the trans player KIPP before hitting the ground and sustaining an apparent back injury. The Collegiate player required assistance to make it back to her feet before the video ends.

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The KIPP athlete is a biological male and, according to Fox News Digital, is more than six feet tall and has facial hair.

The name of the KIPP player has not been disclosed but reports suggest that they also have participated on the girls’ volleyball and track teams at the school.

Despite the outcry after the story went viral, KIPP Academy has refused to apologize for fielding the trans player and now has the backing of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The school also has slammed the comments made online about the incident.

“We condemn harmful comments being made online toward members of our community, and will continue to let the vision, mission and principles of our organization guide our actions,” a spokesperson for KIPP said.

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Carol Rose, ACLU of Massachusetts executive director, said the clip is “part of a coordinated attempt nationwide to try to remove LGBTQ people from public life.”

She added that there are “hundreds, if not thousands” of trans students playing high school sports in the U.S. without issue and cautioned against using isolated incidents of alleged aggression against the fight for inclusion.

Several prominent opponents of the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports commented about the game.

Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who took up the issue after tying against trans athlete Lia Thomas, weighed in on X (formerly known as Twitter).

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“A man hitting a woman used to be called domestic abuse. Now it’s called brave,” Gaines posted.

“Who watches this & actually thinks this is ‘compassionate, kind, and inclusive?’”

A Collegiate spokesperson said Ortins forfeited the game after many of his players expressed concern about getting hurt.

According to reports, two other players were injured during the game, though it is unclear if the trans athlete was involved in those incidents.

“On Feb. 8, the coach of the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell Girls’ Basketball Team decided to end a game at halftime after watching a third player injured in the game with KIPP Academy,” a statement by Collegiate said.

“The bench was already depleted going into the game with the 12-player roster having four players unable to play.

“When the coach saw three more go down in the first half leaving him with five players, he made the call to end the game early. The upcoming Charter School playoffs were looming, and he needed a healthy and robust bench in four days.”

According to the state’s Interscholastic Athletic Association, a player cannot be excluded from a team based on gender identity.

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