The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) announced Wednesday that trans women who went through “male puberty” are no longer eligible to compete in elite competitions. The U.S. Golf Association (USGA) announced the same policy.

“Our policy is reflective of an extensive, science-based and inclusive approach,” LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan claimed in a statement. “The policy represents our continued commitment to ensuring that all feel welcome within our organization, while preserving the fairness and competitive equity of our elite competitions.”

Related

24 states file an amicus brief to convince SCOTUS to ban trans girls from sports
There is no evidence that transgender girls have a significant biological advantage in sports.

“Can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” trans professional golfer Hailey Davidson reportedly wrote in an Instagram story on Wednesday. The new rules make her ineligible to compete, as she did not begin transitioning until her twenties. “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.”

Stay connected to your community

Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA and former LPGA commissioner, told the Associated Press that “competitive fairness” is the “North star.”

“We tried not to get into politics, or state by state or any of that stuff,” Whan said. “We just simply said, ‘Where would somebody — at least medically today — where do we believe somebody would have a competitive advantage in the field?’ And we needed to draw a line. We needed to be able to walk into any women’s event and say with confidence that nobody here has a competitive advantage based on their gender. And this policy delivers that.”

Many trans athletes are facing impossible hurdles as legislators make it increasingly difficult for youth to obtain gender-affirming care while sports bodies increasingly make rules requiring transitions to have happened in childhood.

Earlier this year, Davidson – who has long been the subject of controversy in her sport – issued a withering response to NXXT Women’s Pro Golf Tour’s decision to ban trans women, calling it “a slap in the face to ALL female athletes.”

In a March 1 Instagram post, Davidson noted that despite the LPGA and USGA’s now former policies allowing trans women to compete, trans women have not dominated the sport.

“In 14 years [there] has yet to be a transgender female in the USA actually tee it up and compete in anything but a ‘pay to play’ event and make it to the highest level in women’s golf,” she wrote. “I would semi understand all the hate and threats if there were a ton of transgender women out there dominating at all levels but unfortunately that just isnt [sic] the case nor has it been since the policy went into place.”

“I think society seems to forget just how amazingly good and talented female professional athletes are in all sports,” she continued. “I mean those women are just insanely good and I can only dream of working towards playing alongside of them one day but in reality that is always a longshot and will require all I have even for the tiniest of chances.”

Davidson echoed those statements in another Instagram stories post responding to Friday’s NXXT decision. “You know what really bugs me is that people think I win just by showing up,” she wrote. “This is such a slap in the face to ALL female athletes being told that any male can transition and beat them regardless of the life of hard work those women put in.”

Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.