By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The new LPGA and USGA policies will require transition before puberty.
The Ladies Professional Golf Association and the U.S. Golf Association Wednesday announced new policies for transgender women players, saying they must not have gone through male puberty. The policies take effect in 2025.
Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.
“The policy — informed by a working group of top experts in medicine, science, sport physiology, golf performance and gender policy law — was developed with input from a broad array of stakeholders and prioritizes the competitive integrity of women’s professional tournaments and elite amateur competitions,” says an LPGA press release. “This working group has advised that the effects of male puberty confer competitive advantages in golf performance compared to players who have not undergone male puberty.”
To compete, trans players must establish that they haven’t undergone male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2, when changes to the genitalia begin, or age 12, whichever comes first. They also must maintain a certain level of testosterone and provide a comprehensive medical history to LPGA and USGA authorities. The policies come at a time when when many states have barred trans youth from receiving puberty blockers.
For the LPGA, the policy applies to what are called “elite events,” including the LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour, Epson Tour, and Ladies European Tour Access Series and their qualifying events. For the USGA, it applies to national championships and teams considered to be elite-level competitions but not “to recreational, non-elite competitions or participatory events, teams or leagues, where different considerations may be taken into account when establishing such criteria,” the policy states. The USGA oversees eight championships, including the U.S. Women’s Open.
The policy will exclude trans players such as Hailey Davidson, who just missed qualifying for this year’s Women’s Open by one shot. “Can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” she wrote Wednesday on an Instagram story. “Banned from the Epson and the LPGA. All the silence and people wanting to stay ‘neutral’ thanks for absolutely nothing. This happened because of all your silence.”
Davidson, now 32, began hormone treatments in 2015 and had gender-affirming surgery in 2021, “which was required under the LPGA’s previous gender policy,” The Guardianreports. “She had won this year on a Florida mini-tour called NXXT Golf until the circuit announced in March that players had to be assigned female at birth.”
In the LPGA release, Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said, “Our policy is reflective of an extensive, science-based and inclusive approach. The policy represents our continued commitment to ensuring that all feel welcome within our organization, while preserving the fairness and competitive equity of our elite competitions.”
Mike Whan, the former LPGA commissioner who is now CEO of the USGA, told the Associated Press the policy “starts with competitive fairness as the North Star. We tried not to get into politics or state by state or any of that stuff. We just simply said, ‘Where would somebody — at least medically today — where do we believe somebody would have a competitive advantage in the field?’ And we needed to draw a line.”“Will that change in the years to come as medicine changes? Probably,” Whan added. “But I think today this stacks up.”
