Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson spoke out on Instagram after the NXXT Women's Pro Tour suddenly announced on March 8 (International Women's Day) that participants must be "a biological female at birth" in order to competebanning Davidson from all future competitions, per PinkNews.
Davidsonthe first trans golfer to win a professional women's event. back in 2021won the tournament at the NXXT Women's Classic at Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, the ended on Jan. 17.
In part, she posted, "They changed their policy mid season, after me signing up already and being 2nd in Player of the Year race." Davidson added that she feels the decision denigrates cis female athletes while it also discriminates against transgender women, saying, "You know what really bugs me is that people think I win just by showing up. 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."
"As we navigate through the evolving landscape of sports, it is crucial to uphold the competitive integrity that is the cornerstone of women's sports," said NXXT Golf CEO Stuart McKinnon in a statement, according to Golfweek.
Davidson, a three-time winner on the tour, currently ranks second on the mini tour's season standings. She has played nine times this season on the NXXT. Her victory on the NXXT in January got national attention after many believed her performance put her on the doorstep of the LPGA.
In a separate Golfweek article, trans former golfer Bobbi Lancaster, who's now a physician, said she now believes that transgender women players who experienced male puberty have advantages that hormones or surgeries cannot erase.
Andrew Davis