A female pool player took a brave stand when asked to play against a trans opponent in a recent tournament. The player took her stick and made a quick exit, refusing to play the game in the Women’s tournament against a player who was born as a man.
Lynne Pinches was the woman who decided to bravely take her stand and forfeit the game in favor of petitioning for division boundaries that are drawn by biology rather than gender identity. It was during the Ladies Champions of Champions in Wales that Pinches decided to make her stand against Harriet Haynes, who is a biological male, according to the Daily Mail.
Now, Pinches’ brother has spoken out in defense of his sister, telling the world how proud he is that she stood up for what she believes in, even in the face of sure-to-come vitriol.
Barry Pinches, a pro pool player himself, said, “Full credit and great respect to my sister Lynne Pinches yesterday for taking a stand and not playing in the biggest match of her pool playing life because she feels it’s so unfair to have to compete against a trans woman.”
A female pool player reportedly refused to compete against a trans-identified male opponent at the Women’s Champions of Champions Final in Denbighshire, Wales, yesterday.
Lynne Pinches walked away from the table after being matched to play against Chris “Harriet” Haynes. pic.twitter.com/vLofQALosk
— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) November 13, 2023
Barry continued, “I completely agree with her view that it is totally unfair to expect women to compete against trans women in pool or any other sport for that matter.”
Even though pool is a non-contact sport, there are still some advantages enjoyed by male competitors when they square up against a female. First, the men are far stronger and capable of hitting the opening break shot with more speed. This causes the balls to spread out more and creates a greater opportunity to win.
Following an October 24 decision by the governing body of the event to let trans women play, many biological females were up in arms. It seemed that the officials in charge of the professional pool caved into the woke demands of a small section of its competitors and fan base, while some speculate they may have been worried about legal threats that were incoming.
While some claimed that the opposition to allowing biological males to compete against biological females was born of hate, Barry insisted that this was not the case. His sister, along with her fellow competitors, felt that this decision hurt the integrity of the sport and competition, and it had nothing to do with factors outside of the game of pool.
Barry explained, “For the record, this post is about fairness in women’s sport, that is all. I have no problem whatsoever if somebody wants to identify themselves as whatever they want to be and I have nothing against Harriet Haynes.”
With this drama looming over the competition, Haynes won the tournament after a forfeit in the championship match. It is yet to be seen how the governing body will respond to this, but it is certain to be an issue that they will solve in short order.
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