Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson admitted male athletes “do have advantages” over biological female athletes.
In an interview with “Good Morning Britain,” Davidson, who won the NXXT Women’s Classic in Florida last week, responded to a question from host, Noel Phillips, who asked her if she accepted that she had an “advantage” over biological women.
“Honestly? I 100% agree,” Davidson revealed. “Men do have advantages. Uhm, you know, say you get a trans-person on hormones for a year, no surgery, nothing. Of course, they’re, for the most part, yeah, they’re going to have an advantage.”
Davidson went on to add that while she doesn’t feel that transgender athletes should be “banned from sports,” she believes “guidelines” should be instituted.
When asked why she thought people had a “problem” with her competing in women’s sports, Davidson admitted that she didn’t understand or “get what the fear” of her competing was.
“My whole philosophy behind all of this is I don’t believe trans people should be banned from sports, but I do believe there needs to be guidelines in effect,” Davidson said, according to Fox News. “Going back even four years ago or even before I had surgery, I definitely had an advantage. I would 100% agree with that.”
Davidson reportedly underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2021, after starting hormone therapy treatments in 2015, according to the outlet.
The athlete’s most recent win is another step towards her inching closer to playing in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) qualifying tour, placing her atop the leaderboard. The top five players at the end of the season will advance to the Epson Tour, which is the qualifying tour for the LPGA Tour.
In 2010, LPGA players voted to remove a requirement that players must be “female at birth” in order to compete, according to The New York Times. The change came after a transgender woman sued the LPGA Tour.
“Individuals who have undergone gender reassignment from male to female after puberty are eligible for membership and/or participation in tournaments,” the LPGA’s gender policy reads.
In the aftermath of Davidson’s win, the NXXT Tour issued a statement revealing that Davidson had been “requested” to “undergo additional testosterone testing.”
“In light of recent events, we have initiated a poll among our tour players to gather their opinions on our gender policy. We believe it is vital to consider the perspectives of those directly affected by these policies,” the statement read. “Furthermore, in maintaining the integrity of our standards, we have requested Hailey Davidson to undergo additional testosterone testing to ensure compliance with the appropriate guidelines.”