The LPGA's new rules banning post-pubescent biological males from participating in women's professional golf competitions were widely praised by women's sports activists after they were passed this week.
But there was also an outcry from transgender golfer Haley Davidson, who spoke out against the ban on her Instagram Story Thursday, claiming the LPGA did not seek Davidson's opinion on the decision. .
Davidson's participation led to sports' first suspension of a transgender athlete in early March, and served as evidence that the act may deserve more praise than backlash.
This comes after venture capitalist Stuart McKinnon acquired and took control of the NXXT Golf Tour in January 2023, at which time Davidson was already on board.
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Overview of the LPGA and LET logos from Day 2 of the ISPS HANDA World Invitational hosted by AVIV Clinic 2023 held at Galgorm Castle Golf Club on August 18, 2023. (Ramsey Cardi/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
“I was informed that Haley was transgender, so I asked Haley for proof that she was eligible to play. I was affiliated with the LPGA, so I followed their rules. And the LPGA sent me a letter. I received the “The letters from the USGA (United States Golf Association) and the LPGA from Haley stated that Haley was eligible to play in USGA and LPGA sanctioned tournaments,” McKinnon told The Independent on Thursday. This was said during a conversation in X Space. Women's Sports Council.
McKinnon learned that transgender athletes were very much allowed on the tour she had just purchased. She said she purchased it because she wanted to give more opportunities to female golfers. But institutional rules protecting transgender athletes made Davidson part of that investment.
“I'm trying to help them and I didn't want to break the LPGA rules because at the end of the day, I was scared,” McKinnond said, adding that he was especially afraid that the tour players would not be able to qualify. He added that he would have missed out on the exemption. Qualify for other LPGA events.
McKinnon had to watch Davidson finish first on tour in January, marking Davidson's third first-place finish in this tournament. The win puts Davidson in the race to earn an exemption on the Epson Tour, the LPGA Tour's developmental tour. The top 10 players on the Epson Tour graduate to the LPGA Tour.
After seeing Davidson perform up close on a tour he purchased, McKinnon began to think that was unfair.
“Davidson won the event…I wasn't at the event, but I got a call and heard what was going on, and Haley started gaining the upper hand,” McKinnon said. “As a father of five daughters, I'm here to protect them, to protect women. If I were to watch my daughters play soccer and see a father like this, I'm the kind of father I am. , you could say.'' He was playing against her, and he was 240 pounds, and he came down on the field with force. If I had gone to the field, I would have stopped it.
“In certain sports, it can be physically damaging to the player. In this case, that doesn't apply to golf, but we felt there was a clear advantage for Haley Davidson.”
McKinnon and NXXT banned Davidson from the tour in March. This was a landmark moment in the fight against transgender inclusion in women's golf and sparked a national debate. At the time, Davidson was second in the mini-tour season standings.
McKinnon could no longer bear to watch Davidson and other golfers' overwhelming swings on tour.
“Haley has been spouting things on social media like, 'I only hit .255,' or whatever the numbers are, and that's unequivocally false,” McKinnon said. “I can tell you our team was behind Haley. I was told we were dead against the wind, going 25 seconds an hour, with a time of 269 seconds.” [mph]. So it's not 255. ”
Mr. McKinnon and his NXXT colleagues have begun consulting with scientists and experts about a lawsuit seeking to ban Mr. Davidson from touring. McKinnon said he sent out an anonymous survey to all players on tour about what they would like to see happen to Davidson.
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Mr McKinnon said the voting had to be anonymous as players were afraid to give their names for fear of being “cancelled”. He also claimed anonymous responses were “overwhelmingly” in favor of changes to Davidson's eligibility.
“I sat down with my family, sat down with all of my daughters and said, 'Are we going to be in this together or not? We're going to potentially get a lot of backlash, a lot of hate, this… People were going to turn against us for that, and we decided we needed to do what we thought was right, and we did that,” McKinnon said.
But Ms McKinnon said the decision did not provoke the backlash she had warned her daughters about.
McKinnon said: “We haven't been sued yet and we haven't had any negative backlash. It's been minimal at best. Our lawyers have been surprised at how little backlash we've had, and it's been a huge outpouring of love and support. It was support,” he said.
Mr. McKinnon went on to praise the LPGA for following his lead and passing the recent rules, stating that the LPGA had to consider the possibility of losing sponsorship contracts, and that the LPGA had broken his lead and passed the recent rules. He argued that it took more courage to pass the rules. still.
Several female golfers have come forward to praise and celebrate the event. LPGA rule changes On Wednesday, post-pubescent males will be prohibited from competing against females in professional competitions.
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Transgender golfer Hayley Davidson takes care of her shots during the qualifying stage of the LPGA Q Series. (Riley Gaines/X)
The Independent Women's Forum issued a press release late Wednesday in which several female golfers supported the ruling. These golfers include Lauren Miller, Hannah Arnold, Dana Fall, and Amy Olson.
Miller said she and her female colleagues in professional golf used the statement to say “no more” to the issue of competition with biological men.
“This announcement from the LPGA and USGA gives me hope for the future of women's golf,” Miller said. “The women's professional golf movement is essential and our voices have been heard. We stood up and said, 'No more.' By acknowledging the differences between men and women, golf's leaders can We are united in our desire to advocate for girls.'' By restoring spaces that prioritize fair competition, women are winning today. ”
Meanwhile, Olson argued that the biological differences between men and women should be recognized in sports.
“Recognizing that an individual's chromosomes have an irreversible impact on physical development is a positive step forward,” Olson said.
FOX News Digital reached out to Davidson for comment but did not receive a response.
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