Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson has furiously hit back after her hopes of competing on the LPGA Tour were ripped away from her this week.
The 31-year-old had hoped to break into the top ranks of women’s professional golf, trying to earn status on the tour over the past year.
She had competed in qualifying for the US Women’s Open before playing in Q-School this fall where she earned status on the Epson Tour – the feeder circuit for the LPGA Tour.
However, Davidson’s potential paths to both tours and the major championship were closed off to her when the LPGA Tour announced a dramatic change to its gender policy Wednesday.
From 2025, players will be required to be assigned female at birth or have transitioned to female before going through male puberty to compete in LPGA tournaments or the eight USGA championships for women.
The tour’s U-turn sparked a fiery response from Davidson, who took to Instagram to slam the situation.
‘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.’
The 31-year-old missed qualifying for the US Women’s Open this year by one shot and came up short in LPGA Q-school.
Davidson last competed as a male golfer in 2015, after which, she began hormone therapy treatments and underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2021.
‘What a great birthday present for 2024. Having the greatest achievement I’ve earned in my life taken from me,’ she added.
The LPGA had stood firm by its inclusion policy for transgender athletes who undergo surgery after male puberty, having removed its requirement for golfers to be ‘female at birth’ in a policy change in 2010.
However, the organization has performed a U-turn with the updated gender policy, which will come into force in the New Year.
Players assigned male at birth must prove they have not experienced any part of puberty beyond the first stage or after age 12, whichever comes first, and then meet limitation standards for testosterone levels.