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Hailey Davidson has taken to social media to express their disappointment after being banned with immediate effect from playing on the NXXT Golf Tour.
Davidson made headlines in January after becoming the first transgender golfer to win on the circuit, formerly the East Coast Women’s Pro Golf Tour.
The Scots-born pro’s win at the Mission Inn Resort and Club moved them to the top of the NXXT Tour standings.
It also prompted a widespread backlash from the likes of Piers Morgan, Olympic silver medallist Sharron Davies and Caitlyn Jenner.
In response, NXXT Tour officials requested Davidson undergo additional testosterone testing to “ensure compliance with the appropriate guidelines”, whilst also polling players to gather their opinions on the circuit’s gender policy.
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The tour had been following the lead of the LPGA, which, until 2010, explicitly restricted membership to players who were “female at birth”. However, it removed that following a challenge in court by transgender golfer Lana Lawless. The then 57-year-old successfully argued that the policy was discriminatory.
In a statement released on Friday, the NXXT Tour’s CEO Stuart McKinnon revealed that his circuit would be changing its policy effective immediately to require that competitors be a biological female at birth to participate.
McKinnon explained: “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.
“Our revised policy is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to celebrating and protecting the achievements and opportunities of female athletes.
“Protected categories are a fundamental aspect of sports at all levels, and it is essential for our Tour to uphold these categories for biological females, ensuring a level playing field.”
Responding to the news on Instagram, Davidson wrote: “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.
“You think you’re attacking me, but you’re actually attacking and putting down ALL other female athletes.
“You can scream at me, threaten me, throw insults at me, and even ban me BUT I will ALWAYS get back up and keep fighting to the very end. Hate and bigotry will never win.”
In a subsequent post over the weekend shared to the Instagram Stories, Davidson added: “I’ve had 34 surgeries/procedures on my feet and ankles due to being born with my feet fully backwards.
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“You will not hear me say EVER that another player has an advantage over me because they have normal feet/ankles and get to play tournaments without being in pain.
“I just work harder to make up for it because we are all born different.”
In another post, Davidson wrote: “My high school golf coach would say this every time we would go to any course. Leave the course in better shape than when you got there.
“That same rule truly goes so far in all aspects of life so let’s all work to leave this earth in a better place than when we arrived rather than trying to destroy it ajd each other, which for some reason has become the new normal.
“Build each other up not tear them down, regardless if you agree or disagree with them. We are all human.”
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