The LPGA Tour has officially decided to prohibit transgender athletes from competition, and one prominent transgender golfer is not at all happy about the decision.
The new policy will prohibit male players who have gone through male puberty from competing in the LPGA Tour, Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour and all other elite LPGA competitions.
“Players assigned male at birth and who have gone through male puberty are not eligible to compete in the aforementioned events,” the organization said according to Fox News. “The policies governing the LPGA’s recreational programs and non-elite events utilize different criteria to provide opportunities for participation in the broader LPGA community.”
The new policy will go into effect at the start of the 2025 season.
“Golf offers opportunities for all athletes to compete at professional and elite amateur levels,” the LPGA Tour said. “Individual competitions are generally categorized as ‘women’s events,’ which have specific eligibility requirements, or ‘open events,’ where any player, regardless of sex, is eligible to compete.”
The policy will impact Hailey Davidson, a transgender golfer who had been trying to become the first transgender woman to make it to the LPGA Tour.
Under the new policy, she will not get that chance.
“Can’t say I didn’t see this coming. Banned from the Epson and LPGA,” Davidson wrote in an Instagram Stories post. “All the silence and people wanting to stay ‘neutral’ thanks for absolutely nothing. This happened because of all your silence.
“And somehow people are surprised the suicide rate for transgender people is around 50%. Situations just like this are part of the reason.”
Outgoing LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan claimed that the policy is “science-based.”
“Our policy is reflective of an extensive, science-based and inclusive approach,” Marcoux Samaan said. “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.”
