Alexandra Cunha, one of the world’s top-ranked pool players, has announced that she will not play any male-born “transgender woman” from here onward.
Cunha is the fifth-ranked woman in the world, but she stepped up to preclude competing against transgender women after her sport moved to open the women’s categories to trans competitors.
While she is the player of the highest standing speaking out against the October 24 decision of the World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) to allow men who identify as women to compete in the women’s category, she is far from alone. According to the Daily Mail, thousands of women worldwide are criticizing the WEPF’s rules change.
“I recently played a transgender player, and I was destroyed when I lost,” said Cunha, who is captain of the Portuguese women’s national pool team.
“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,” she said.
Woman pool star refuses to play against anyone who is not biologically female amid a bitter row over trans-identifying male competitors https://t.co/czNLha7xUi
— ICONS (@icons_women) November 11, 2023
Last week, Cunha sent a letter to officials pulling out of the International Rules Pool Tour.
“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,” she said in her letter.
The WEPF and Ultimate Pool initially moved to ban men from playing as women. Early this year, they maintained that women’s categories “will be exclusively open to individuals who are born female.”
However, after pressure from transgender activists, the organization reversed itself and eight weeks later ruled that trans women were welcome in female categories by quietly revealing new language covering “competition eligibility for transgender and non-binary players” on its website, stating that the organization was instituting the transgender rules concocted by the International Olympic Committee.
At least 60 female players have spoken up against the rules change.
British Olympian and women’s sports activist Sharron Davies praised Cunha and advised more women to emulate her actions.
“Together, this is what all females must do if we don’t want to lose our fair & equal opportunities in women’s sport. Women pool star refuses to play against anyone who is not biologically female amid a bitter row over transgender competitor,” she wrote on X.
Together this is what all females must do if we don’t want to lose our fair & equal opportunities in women’s sport Women pool star refuses to play against anyone who is not biologically female amid a bitter row over transgender competitors | Daily Mail https://t.co/BottzfkkH9
— Sharron Davies MBE (@sharrond62) November 12, 2023
Davies added, “Pool is a male-dominated sport, like so many, and these women have worked hard to get their own tour.” And went on to say, “These organizations know their game is sex-affected. They know women need their own tournaments to grow female participation & opportunities. They must show courage and decency and stand up for women.”
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