Women’s Pro Golf Tour Faces Lawsuit Over Transgender Athlete Policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The NXXT women’s professional golf tour is embroiled in a legal battle after transgender golfer Hailey Davidson filed a lawsuit challenging the tour’s updated policies that bar biological males from competing in female categories. Davidson’s suit, filed in December 2025, came in response to NXXT’s decision to tighten eligibility rules aimed at protecting women’s sports, a move that has sparked debate across athletic and legal communities.
In recent years, sports organizations nationwide have grappled with how to fairly include transgender athletes while maintaining competitive balance. The NXXT tour’s policy change reflects a broader trend among women’s sports leagues seeking to define participation criteria based on biological sex. According to Stuart McKinnon, CEO of NXXT Golf, the policy shift was motivated by a commitment to “clarity and competitive integrity.”
“This was about simply protecting women’s sports,” McKinnon told Fox News Digital. “As a professional tour, we believe it was our responsibility to define those categories.” The organization, backed by legal counsel from America First Legal, has filed a motion to dismiss Davidson’s lawsuit, asserting that the claims lack merit and that the policy is lawful.
Following the policy update, McKinnon said he personally reached out to Davidson to offer her an opportunity to compete in an open category designed for athletes regardless of gender identity, free of charge. This gesture reflects efforts to balance inclusivity with fairness, though Davidson has maintained her legal challenge.
The controversy has drawn attention from various stakeholders in women’s sports. Amy Olson, a former professional golfer and ambassador for the Independent Women’s Forum, praised the policy as a “huge win” for women’s golf, emphasizing the importance of preserving competitive equity. Meanwhile, advocacy groups for transgender rights have criticized such policies as discriminatory.
The NXXT tour’s stance aligns with other organizations that have implemented similar eligibility criteria, often citing scientific research on physiological differences. The debate continues to evolve amid ongoing legal scrutiny and shifting societal attitudes.
For more on sports governance and transgender athlete policies, see resources from the USA Track & Field and the International Olympic Committee, which have also updated guidelines in recent years. Legal perspectives on such cases can be explored through the American Bar Association and the U.S. Department of Justice.
As the lawsuit proceeds, the outcome could have significant implications for how professional women’s sports balance inclusivity with competitive fairness. The NXXT tour has expressed confidence that the courts will uphold their policy, underscoring the ongoing complexities at the intersection of sports, law, and gender identity.
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