(LifeSiteNews) — A gender-confused pool player has lost his discrimination lawsuit, as a U.K. court upheld the ban on biological men in female sports.
In August 2023, the English Blackball Pool Federation (EBPF) banned men who identified as women from women’s competitions and teams.
Pool player Chris “Harriet” Haynes sued the organization, alleging that the restriction was “direct discrimination” against him.
As the BBC reports, the court has now ruled that the exclusion of Haynes and other male athletes was the only “reasonable” way to ensure “fair competition,” and dismissed his claim.
Haynes’ legal representatives expressed disappointment with the ruling and stated, “We are reflecting on the judgment and our next steps which will include whether or not we appeal.”
The court’s decision in the EBPF case follows a landmark ruling in April, in which the U.K.’s highest court ruled that only biological women meet the definition of a woman, excluding so-called “trans women.”
The judge said that pool is a “gender-affected activity” and excluding those born male, such as Haynes, was necessary to “secure fair competition.”
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Haynes complained that he received “vile” and “horrific” online abuse because her opponent, Lynn Pinches, refused to compete against him in January 2024 and conceded the championship final match to him. Haynes has argued that there is no categorical evidence that men have an advantage in cue sports over women.
The EBPF expressed delight at the judge’s decision and stressed that it welcomes “transgender players” in its “open” competitions, where men and women can enter.
“The court found that pool is a game in which men have an advantage over women and that allowing only those born as women to compete in our women’s competitions is necessary to secure fair competition,” a spokesperson for the pool association said.
According to the EBPF, these advantages include greater hand span to bridge over balls, a longer reach, and an ability to generate higher break speed.
