Trans pool champion launches legal bid to overturn ban on competing in women’s events
Harriet Haynes is taking legal action (Canva)
Transgender pool champion Harriet Haynes is bringing a discrimination case against the English Blackball Pool Federation (EBPF) after she was barred from competing in women’s tournaments.
In August 2023, the EBPF, which organises county-level competitions in England, announced that from December of that year only people assigned female at birth would be eligible to compete in the female category, while an open category would be for men and trans women.
The move was to ensure “equality and fairness for all”, the EBPF ruled.
“We made this decision in the interests of fairness, because we believe that people who have gone through male puberty have a competitive advantage over biological women,” chairman Paul Thomson and national secretary Anna Goodwin said earlier this year.
Harriet Haynes, a trans woman who is fourth in the International Eightball Pool Federation’s ladies’ individual rankings, claims the policy discriminates against her on the basis of her gender reassignment – a protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act.
“I am a woman and I have no advantage, so why should I have to play in a category that is going to cast a spotlight on to me and the fact that I have transitioned?” she asked.
“I would feel incredibly embarrassed by being forced into a position where I was the only female playing in an open category,” she told The Independent.
She does not believe that any competitive advantage is down to the fact that she went through male puberty, but rather that she practised a significant amount during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Haynes’ lawyer, Matt Champ, said the EBPF’s decision was “wrong, outside the parameters of the Equality Act and completely unevidenced”.
He continued: “We look forward to helping our client prove that the actions taken against her were unlawful and discriminatory and ensuring that she obtains the proper relief available from the courts.”
Thomson and Goodwin responded to the lawsuit by saying: “We are disappointed that Harriet has chosen to sue an organisation made up entirely of volunteers, who give up their time to promote the game of pool in England. But we stand by our decision and we intend to defend the claim.”
Haynes has previously spoken about receiving “vile” and “horrific” abuse after opponent Lynne Pinches refused to play her in the final of the Women’s Champion of Champions tournament in January.
How did this story make you feel?
