Judy Murray, the mother of two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, has spoken on the likelihood that transgender golfer Hailey Davidson, 29, will be granted an LPGA tour card.
Hailey Davidson looks set to become the first transgender woman to receive an LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tour card. She looked impressive in the opening two rounds of this week's LPGA and Epson Tour Qualifying School in Palm Springs.
Davidson needed to shoot under 88 in all three rounds to earn 2023 Epson Tour Status, and she did it with scores of 70 in the first round and 76 in the second round, qualifying her for a tour card. She is presently tied for 59th out of the 310 competitors in the women's field.
In view of this, Murray expressed her concern on Twitter, opining that Davidson's stance was extremely unfair to other biological women. She also exhorted others to pay attention to science and medical experts.
"No. Not fair at all. Protect women’s sport. Listen to the facts, the scientists and the medics. This is wrong," she wrote.
"This is why I’m so glad Serena and Venus keep their mouths shut on any topic" - Tennis fans react to Judy Murray's remarks
Tennis enthusiasts vented their outrage on Twitter in response to Judy Murray's remarks. The majority of them criticized the coach for her mindset and for demeaning transgender athletes.
According to one user, Murray should behave similarly to the Williams sisters and refrain from commenting on sensitive subjects. They also stated that it was hurtful to see such remarks coming from someone they really admire.
"This is why I’m so glad Serena and Venus keep their mouths shut on any topic, as someone who isn’t cisgender, reading this from someone who I really admired is hurtful," the user wrote.
The assault on the trans community should stop immediately, according to another user, who added that Golf doesn't benefit from gender. The user wrote:
"This continuous onslaught towards the trans community needs to stop! Golf as a sport doesn't benefit on gender. Perhaps look into reasons why people identify & go through the process of gender transition & you might learn a few things!"
Another user thought that this type of stance was more detrimental to women in sport than beneficial, and tweeted:
"This type of "standing up for women" nonsense does more harm than good to women in sports. Wouldn't the ultimate aim in sports equality be that everyone competed at a level playing field? Your comments demote women to the lower leagues."
Here are a few more reactions: