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Female pool players to walk away from male opponents
The World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) has bowed down to trans activists and misogynists by reversing a decision to protect female divisions in the sport. In August they declared they would protect females by ensuring “events will be exclusively open to individuals who are born female.'
Incredibly, they reversed the decision just eight weeks later, issuing a new policy with partner Ultimate Pool, “stating that there would be no discrimination on the grounds of gender identity.”
They stipulated that they would operate a gender 'self-identification policy' for competitors, but added that they reserved the right to test that testosterone had been suppressed to the levels required of trans athletes by the International Olympic Committee.
It is akin to a sick joke.
As if reducing testosterone will do anything to negate the advantages males have with longer reach and greater upper body power to initially break the balls than females.
The first break can determine the entire game.
The women in the sport have decided they won’t comply in silence.
One of the world's top ranked women pool players is refusing to play against anyone who is not biologically female in professional competitions amid a bitter row over transgender competitors.
Alexandra Cunha, who is fifth in the international ranking for female pool players, took the stance after the rules of her sport were changed last week to allow men who identify as women to play in ladies' tournaments that command thousands in prize money.
Ms Cunha, who is based in the UK but is captain of the Portuguese women's national pool team, told the Mail on Sunday: 'I've been playing pool since I was 17 and I'm fifth in the world but I'm risking throwing everything away over this because I hate unfairness.
'I recently played a transgender player and I was destroyed when I lost.'
The 49-year-old also revealed that she wrote this week to the head of a major tournament, known as the International Rules Pool Tour, pulling out of the event.
She informed the organisers: 'As we live in a free world and I will stand up for what I believe is fair, I will not play against any players that wasn't born a woman independently of being a first round or a final.'
Ms Cunha said she offered to continue with the tour if her rules of play were accepted, but she was simply told that her entry fee would be refunded.
Up to 60 professional female pool players have now joined a WhatsApp support group to oppose the unfair policy.
One player, Lynne Pincher, said: 'When I heard the announcement last week I spent most of the day in tears - especially because it came after the announcement eight weeks earlier that it was finally going to be a fair field.
'I'm worried now about the future of the game for women. If next year we had eight trans player they would probably be in the top eight.'
Pincher was then pitted against a male player, Chris "Harriet" Haynes. Pincher stepped up to the table at the Women’s Champions of Champions Final in Denbighshire, Wales, but then informed the referee she would forfeit the match. She walked away to loud cheers of support from the spectators.
Watch: Female player Lynne Pinches walked away from playing against a male in a female competition.
It is incredibly unfair that it is left up to women to walk away from the sport they love in an attempt to regain fairness. Players like Pincher have worked hard to achieve elite results, and are now watching it being ripped away from them by males who role play being women.
No one is saying those males can’t play. They can. They can play in male, mixed or open competitions. There are separate divisions for females to ensure safety and dignity for all. When sporting bodies rule in favour of males being able to dominate in women’s sport they let women down and make fools of themselves for denying science and reality.
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