Major Golf Associations Revise Gender Policies Over Concerns of ‘Unfair Advantage’

December 5, 2024 TruthUSA

The new regulations are scheduled to come into force in 2025.

Prominent golf organizations, including the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the United States Golf Association (USGA), released new guidelines on December 4, stipulating that male players identifying as transgender must have undergone transgender treatment prior to puberty to be eligible for significant women’s tournaments.

According to the new guidelines, transgender players are required to demonstrate that they have not passed beyond stage two of the Tanner scale—a developmental tool utilized by healthcare professionals to assess puberty progress—or past the age of 12, whichever is applicable sooner.

Additionally, they must provide evidence that they have “continuously maintained testosterone levels in their serum below 2.5 nmol/L.”

Both regulations will be implemented in 2025.

“As the global leader in women’s golf, the LPGA is dedicated to leveraging our unique platform to empower, inspire, and promote opportunities for girls and women; our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion remains central to our identity and mission,” the organization noted in its recently revised policy.

“Furthermore, the LPGA embodies the zenith of women’s golf, where the finest female players in the world compete for their livelihood, and it is essential that we maintain fair and equitable rules and policies for female participants in our elite events.”

The golf association collaborated with leading experts in medicine, science, sports physiology, and golf performance, who advised that “a player’s exposure to male puberty confers physical advantages that enhance golf performance compared to those who have not had such exposure.”

In a separate announcement, the USGA stated that its policy “reflects the USGA’s enduring commitment to inclusivity for all gender identities and expressions while preserving equity in competition.”

“The new policy guarantees competitive opportunities for athletes in USGA women’s competitions while preventing any unfair advantages for those who have reaped the performance benefits associated with male puberty,” the organization continued.

“Current scientific and medical evidence illustrates that sports performance disparities emerge between biological sexes, a difference that begins at the onset of puberty.”

The new regulations from both entities would effectively disqualify transgender-identifying golfer Hailey Davidson, who had participated in the LPGA’s qualifying series prior to the new policies being enacted, despite dissent from female competitors.

Davidson, who has received hormone therapy and undergone gender reassignment surgery, reacted to the revised guidelines from both organizations on December 4.

“Can’t say I didn’t anticipate this,” Davidson expressed in an Instagram story. “Excluded from the Epson and the LPGA. All the silence, and people opting to remain ‘neutral’—thank you for absolutely nothing. This outcome is a result of your silence.”

Davidson did not qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open this year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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