Trans golfer Hailey Davidson faces discrimination over LPGA participation

Nearly 300 female golfers have signed an open letter addressed to the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), urging the organisation to revoke its trans inclusion policies amid the participation of trans player Hailey Davidson.

In August, Davidson, originally from Scotland and currently residing in the US, competed in the LPGA pre-qualifying and tied for 42nd place, securing her spot for the next round in October.

According to ‘MSN’, Davidson began the second round of the LPGA qualifier on Tuesday, October 22, in Venice, Florida. The start was delayed due to Hurricane Milton, and she completed the round with a score of 78, placing her 171st out of 194 players.

The letter from the Independent Women’s Forum, shared exclusively with Outkick, was sent to the LPGA on August 19, three days before the pre-qualifying stage of qualifying school (Q-school).

The group, which opposes trans inclusion in sports, claims to have gathered 275 golfer signatures. The letter states: “We all know there can be no equal athletic opportunity for women without a separate female golf category.

“Yet, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) continues to propagate a policy that allows male athletes to qualify, compete, and win in women’s golf, even as several national and international governing bodies of sport and state legislatures increasingly reject these unjust and inequitable policies that harm female athletes.”

It further states: “LPGA policy does not explicitly state eligibility based on sex. It is essential for the integrity and fairness of women’s golf to have a clear and consistent participation policy in place based on a player’s immutable sex.

“There are differences between the sexes—female and male—that specifically affect our sport of golf. The male advantage in driving the ball is estimated around a 30% performance advantage; this is an enormous difference in the context of sport. Anatomical differences between males and females affect clubhead speed and regulating consistency at ball contact.

“Females have higher mean heart rates and encounter greater physiological demands while playing, especially at high altitudes. The anatomical differences are not removed with male testosterone suppression. There is no way to turn a male into a female. Being female is not equated to being male with a reduction in strength.”

The LPGA’s gender policy aims to “provide transgender athletes an avenue to membership and opportunity to participate in events, and in an effort to assure fair competition for all members and participants.”

It stipulates that those who have transitioned are eligible to participate if they provide a written declaration to the LPGA confirming their female gender identity, have undergone gender reassignment surgery, taken hormones for at least one year prior, and maintained testosterone levels for the duration of participation.

“For the avoidance of doubt, applicants transitioning to male who either declare their gender identity to be male or commence hormone treatment for such purpose will not be eligible for membership or entry into a tournament,” the policy further clarifies.

In the second qualifier, the top 35 players will advance to the final round.