By Elliott West
“We are wired differently, we think different. We are mentally different, and I do believe 100 per cent there is an advantage there even in snooker after transition”.
Maria Catalano, British Open snooker champion.
Introduction
The inclusion of the transgender community into sports is a debate that brings huge amounts of support but equally a backlash of derisory objection. The recent Olympics in Tokyo, Japan saw Laurel Hubbard selected to compete for her country in weightlifting while swimming’s world governing body, Fina voted in June this year to bar transgender women from elite female competitions if they have experienced any part of male puberty. One such critic is the former professional swimmer, Sharron Davies who has been very vocal on her social media feed on Twitter, even claiming that she is potentially facing bankruptcy due to the backlash and what some call a victim of cancel culture. This follows her support for the Fina ban and a similar resolution in rugby with Davies claiming that swimmers such as the openly transgender Lia Thomas had an unfair advantage. Sharron also feels that such bans should continue based on age, fitness and testosterone levels.
“Charities I’ve worked with for 30 years have dropped me, agents I’ve worked with for 30 or 40 years don’t use me any more, because the trans activists can be so vicious and malicious – they go after your work, after your brand, they attack everything”.
Sharron Davies, former professional swimmer and Olympic medalist.
The Land of Dreams
‘If I didn’t transition I would be dead, it has nothing to do with snooker”.
Jamie Hunter, 2022 US Open champion.
The recent US Open in Seattle was hailed by myself and many others in snooker as a monumental achievement for women’s snooker. Conquering America and educating their people on this fascinating sport is crucial for securing future sponsorship deals, holding tournaments and growing snooker into a global sport. So when 25-year-old Jamie Hunter won the title, a transgender player who first came out about her gender identity in 2019, it was a moment of joy but heavily tainted with the barrage of social media abuse that followed. This came from both a few players within the game and fans as well. Vile accusations of cheating and objectionable comments about her right to be able to compete.
So when Jamie reached home and her family were waiting with banners and balloons, her eyes which should have been filled with joy, were instead awash with sadness. Perhaps the most hurtful comments were that Hunter shouldn’t be alive, stretching this fractious debate to the depths of obscenity. As her mobile phone buzzed and the comments kept coming, Hunter spent most of the next two days crying and sleep-deprived.
The Right to Reply
Those who say Jamie has an unfair advantage abuse the democratic right we have in this country to have freedom of speech. They peddle hatred because they know that the individual is outnumbered with their own right to reply. I applaud the likes of Belgian snooker referee, Oliver Marteel who made a rare intervention on Twitter to condone this behaviour. Hunter has transitioned to being a woman, she has had breast surgery, weighs less than nine stone and has low testosterone levels, hardly a bodybuilder in her field, but a highly likeable woman who is just trying to do well in snooker.
Perhaps those who criticise should actually step into Hunter’s shoes for a while and experience the uphill struggle she has had to face just to be where she is today. In order to be just recognised as a female by the WPBSA, your identity documents have to state you are female with proof of bills etc that you have been living for two years or more as your gender. There is also the vast amounts of medication required to transition including ones to bring your testosterone levels down.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m retaliating, but I want to be open about it. Firstly to inspire others to know they can do what they want to do and be who they want to be, and secondly to educate people”.
Jamie Hunter
I applaud Jamie’s response to this social media backlash and her stoic views. She hasn’t been highly critical because at the end of the day she wants others in the transgender community to be brave, compete and succeed in sports. She sees this as an educational experience and one where hopefully bias and ignorance will be replaced in time with the voice of reason.
Afterthoughts
Inclusion and diversity are so important in any walk of life and especially in sports. Yes, the debate is healthy but it should never cross the line and become malicious. Every sportsperson has one aim, to succeed and shine in their field and this should never come down to their gender identity. Band and knee-jerk decisions by governing sporting bodies, only stunt progress and scientific data is not always the answer, it slows down change and produces unnecessary media headlines. Go back to the drawing board and reflect on your decisions.
