A transgender golfer has sued the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the United States Golf Association (USGA) for their policies banning men who underwent male puberty from competing in women’s competitions.
The LPGA told Fox News in a statement that it is aware of the lawsuit and will “let that process play out on the proper forum.”
“The LPGA’s gender policy was developed through a thoughtful, expert-informed process and is grounded in protecting the competitive integrity of elite women’s golf,” the organization said in its statement.
The organizations changed their participation policies in 2025 mandating that players be born female or have “transitioned” to female before going through male puberty in order to compete, according to the report.
The trans-identifying male golfer, 33-year-old Hailey Davidson, did not “transition” until after he went through puberty. Under a different policy in 2024, he was able to compete in a U.S. Open qualifier and LPGA Qualifying School, although he fell short in both.
His lawsuit alleges that the new transgender policy effectively bans “transgender women” from competing in the organizations’ events because many states ban sex change drugs for minors.
“When the USGA denied Davidson entry into the qualifier, Davidson claimed the Hackensack Golf Club violated the law by saying the USGA controlled all decisions regarding eligibility,” the report details. “Davidson began hormone treatments in Davidson’s early 20s in 2015 and in 2021 underwent gender-affirming surgery, which was required under the LPGA’s previous gender policy.”
Davidson also filed a lawsuit against the women’s golf tour NXXT in December after it changed its rules to ban men from competing against women.
“We are asking the courts to dismiss the claims, and we’re addressing the matter,” NXXT Golf CEO Stuart McKinnon told Fox News Digital. “This was about simply protecting women’s sports. So the goal was really clarity and competitive integrity, and, as a professional tour, we believe it was our responsibility to define those categories.”
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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