Transgender women banned from female pool category

Following last week’s landmark UK Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, transgender women were exempt from Ultimate Pool Group (UPG)’s female category.

The 8-ball pool professional body announced that its eligibility criteria have been changed to allow only women who were biologically born to participate in its women’s events.

The decision comes after the transgender women’s competition Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith, who were competing in the final of the Ultimate Pool Women’s Pro Series Event earlier this month, were protested.

UPG welcomed the clarity brought by the Supreme Court decision, stating that “recent developments have now made the position clear.”

Additionally, it stated that a report it commissioned had established that transgender women still enjoy male advantages and that 8-ball pool was a “gender affected sport” with unique disadvantages for female competitors.

An open category, according to the body, “will continue to be open to everyone, regardless of sex.”

We take into account the possibility that some members of the pool community may find the changes challenging.

We as an organization are “committed to being compassionate to all members of our community,” the statement read.

Two biological males competed in the second round of the Ultimate Pool Women’s Pro Series at the Wigan location.

UPG stated in an update to its terms and conditions that it “has been sucked into a vacuum of uncertainty regarding the eligibility to participate in its women’s series.”

One of the best female pool players in the country, Lynne Pinches, claimed last year that she had rejected her first professional contract because she thought transgender women had an unfair advantage.

The World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) and its promoters UPG, the organization’s governing body, announced in August 2023 that transgender players would not be able to compete against “naturally-born women,” but the decision was later changed.

The contest between the women’s champions of champions and transgender rival Haynes in Prestatyn was then protested by Pinches.

There is no categorical evidence that transgender athletes have an advantage in cue sports, according to Haynes, who claims transgender athletes have competed in female categories for 20 years.

The English Blackball Pool Federation (EBPF), which also forbids transgender women from competing in female categories, is facing legal action from her.

Pinches claimed she was a member of a group of players who were challenging WEPF and UPG’s rules for transgender women.

In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling last week, UPG has now become the first sports organization to change its rules.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s chairwoman, Baroness Kishwer Falkner, confirmed that the decision had brought clarity and that transgender women could not compete in women’s sports, and that the EHRC would pursue organizations that didn’t update their policies.

The clarity that this ruling provides is welcomed by UPG.

It claimed that the ruling and the findings of the “detailed and comprehensive experts report” that the court commissioned required UPG to change its eligibility criteria for participation in the women’s series and international events.