Two national golf associations—the LPGA and the USGA—announced new gender eligibility policies that ban transgender women who have gone through male puberty from participating in elite women’s competitions, NBC News reported.
To compete in elite competitions—such as the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour—a trans woman must establish that she has not experienced male puberty and that she has met specified testosterone requirements. “The LPGA has updated our Gender Policy for Competition Eligibility to uphold the fairness and integrity of our elite competitions while providing an inclusive environment for the broader LPGA community,” the LPGA’s statement says.
The USGA outlined the same puberty and testosterone requirements as the LPGA in its new gender eligibility rules, also saying that the underlying principle is “competitive fairness.”
The revised policies, which take effect next month, will prevent Scotland’s Hailey Davidson—a trans woman who almost made it to this year’s U.S. Women’s Open—from taking part in the elite women’s golf events. “Can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” Davidson said in an Instagram story Wednesday. “Banned from the Epson and the LPGA. All the silence and people wanting to stay ‘neutral’ thanks for absolutely nothing. This happened because of all your silence.”
This latest development is in line with organizations banning trans women from competing in women’s events in activities/sports ranging from cycling to chess.
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