Controversy overshadowed the U.K. Mini Series pool championships this past weekend, as transgender competitors Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith were allowed to play. Both Haynes and Smith are biological males.
Haynes and Smith ended up facing off against eachother in the semifinals after each of them defeated a string of biologically female opponents. Haynes won that match, advancing to the final. There, Welsh woman Kirsty-Lee Davies was the last thing standing in between Haynes and claiming the title in the women’s event.
Haynes took an early five-frames-to-two lead over Davies to reach the brink of that title. But just then, Davies pulled off a win to stave off elimination, sparking a streak of four straight frame wins to complete the comeback and claim the championship.
The Women’s Rights Network applauded Davies for her victory, writing: “Despite the best efforts of the pool authorities to scupper her chances by allowing two males to compete in the female category.” However, the WRN also pointed out that both Haynes and Smith, for making it all the way to the final and semi-final respectively, will pick up prize money that “rightfully belongs to a woman.”
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The rules of both the English Pool Association and World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) state that trans-identified athletes are allowed to compete in the sport with absolutely no restrictions, according to their website. Those bylaws for the EPA have been under review since December 2023.
In August 2023, the WEPF announced it was updating their guidelines to only allow those who were “born female” to play the sport.
“We understand that this decision may prompt questions and discussions within our sport. We want to emphasize that our commitment to upholding the values of sportsmanship, inclusivity, and adherence to regulatory standards remains unwavering,” the WEPF said at the time. “Our ultimate goal is to ensure the continued growth and development of the sport we all love, while maintaining a harmonious balance between inclusivity and the integrity of competition. We recognize the importance of fostering an environment where everyone can participate and thrive, and we remain dedicated to upholding these principles to the best of our ability.”
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But then, in October that year, the WEPF reversed that protection. It allowed transgenders to compete by enabling their participation under the conditioner that they have identified as female for a minimum of four years, and further submit proof of lowered testosterone levels.
Transgender participation in women’s sports has become an internationally debated issue, and it has become one of the most-discussed issues of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
In June, a survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago asked respondents to weigh in on whether trans athletes of both sexes should be permitted to participate in sports leagues that correspond to their preferred gender identity instead of their biological sex, and 65% answered that it should either be never or rarely be allowed. When those polled were asked specifically about adult trans female athletes competing on women’s sports teams, 69% opposed it.
Former president Trump has taken a firm stance against transgender inclusion in his campaign for the White House. Trump’s wife, former first lady Melania Trump, also recently spoke out against allowing biological men in women’s sports in her new memoir “Melania,” despite admittedly disagreeing with most Republican principles on LGBT rights.
Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris administration has taken sweeping actions to enable transgender inclusion.
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In April, the administration issued a sweeping rule that clarified that Title IX’s ban on “sex” discrimination in schools covers discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and “pregnancy or related conditions.”
The rule took effect Aug. 1, and for the first time, the law stated that discrimination based on sex includes conduct related to a person’s gender identity. The Biden administration insisted that the regulation does not address athletic eligibility. However, multiple experts presented evidence to Fox News Digital in June that Biden’s claims that it would not result in biological men participating in women’s sports were not true and that the proposal would ultimately put more biological men in women’s sports.
The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to reject a Biden emergency request to enforce portions of that new rule that includes protection from discrimination for transgender students under Title IX, after more than two dozen Republican attorneys general sued to block the Title IX changes in their own states.
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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
