This is the moment a female hockey player took a hit to the face from her male opponent, leaving her with awful facial injuries.
A male player’s shot caused the horrific incident which saw the woman collapse and scream.
It has prompted calls to change Massachusetts law which allows men to play with female players.
The incident occurred on Thursday in a Varsity match between Swampscott High School and Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School.
Swampscott emerged victorious thanks to two goals from the male player.
Dighton-Rehoboth Superintendent Bill Runey wrote an email to parents saying this brings into question the safety of players.
But Swampscott Public Schools Athletic Director Kelly Wolff defended the male player’s right to take part on the team.
She said he has “the exact same right to participate as any player on the team”.
Wolff identified the player as a four-year varsity player and a co-captain of the team, as reported by WCVB.
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) issued a statement on the incident.
The body said: ‘Massachusetts General Law was originally enacted to protect students from discrimination based on sex, and later expanded to protect students based on gender identification.
“As a result of this law, and consistent with the interpretive guidance offered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, athletic opportunities must be afforded to students in accordance with their identified gender, not necessarily their birth-assigned gender.”
The male player involved in the incident is not transgender.
Runey responded to this statement, saying: “For any male athlete that’s participating in a female sport, there are zero restrictions.
“So, I’m looking for the MIAA to facilitate some conversations to have some middle ground in terms of player safety.
“In speaking with a representative of the MIAA this morning, she shared that the MIAA handbook has a legal note explaining how the Massachusetts Equal Rights Amendment makes the participation of males on female teams legal.”
He added that he wanted to speak out after seeing “the horror in the eyes of our players and coaches upon greeting their bus last night.”
Runey said this was “evidence to me that there has to be a renewed approach by the MIAA to protect the safety of our athletes.”
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