Hailey Davidson, a Scotland-born transgender professional golfer, has made headlines by winning the NXXT Women’s Classic in Florida on Jan. 17, causing many golfers to voice their opinions.
Davidson has her eyes on becoming the first transgender woman to earn a Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour card.
Before the LPGA, Davidson is set to compete in the Epson Tour. The Epson Tour takes the top 10 players to advance to the LPGA Tour.
The LPGA has a gender policy in place for transgender athletes. Some of these eligibility rules include the need for an applicant to have undergone gender reassignment surgery and appropriate hormonal therapy for at least one year before a competition. Davidson has followed all of the correct guidelines, yet some are still not satisfied.
Bobbi Lancaster, the first transgender golfer to compete for an LPGA tour card, has spoken out against the up-and-comer. “I don’t think it’s fair to have transgender women like me competing against cisgender women in women’s sports. Period, end of story,” she said in an interview with Golfweek
Lancaster was 63 years old in 2013 when she aimed to obtain her LPGA tour card. While she had a successful season, she was not able to beat out the other competitors for the LPGA card.
Lancaster claims her stance is due to the advancement of science, believing that hormones and surgeries cannot erase the biological differences between males and females.
Lancaster believes that the issue of the lack of medical care and the ability to play sports for transgender children is partly her fault for pushing the boundaries too far.
Davidson has been very vocal about her journey on social media. “It’s always interesting how no one gets angry until there is any form of success,” Davidson said in an Instagram post.
Despite the controversy surrounding transgender athletic policies, Davidson still has her eyes on the prize.