LPGA players have voted to allow transgender players to compete on tour in response to a lawsuit filed by Lana Lawless, who had a sex change operation five years ago. Lawless filed the federal lawsuit in San Francisco in October claiming the ”female at birth” requirement violated California’s civil rights law.
The LPGA players voted to remove the ”female at birth” requirement from the tour’s constitution at a year-end meeting at the LPGA Tour Championship, Commissioner Michael Whan said.
”We don’t need to comment on this because it’s a dead issue,” Cristie Kerr said Wednesday. ”She can compete if she can qualify. We certainly don’t want to discriminate against anybody; that’s not what the LPGA is about. And if she can qualify, she’ll be able to play. We’re like the last sports organization to do it; it’s just we’ve never really had to look at it before.”
The steps will be taken in the coming weeks to make the change to the constitution.