Female pool player Lynne Pinches refuses to play transgender opponent and walks off at start of match

Why did he do a gun to the head motion do you think? Strange reaction…

That's what I think too.

He's probably loving the attention. Whilst crying transphobia at the same time.

Having skimmed through some of the comments on the times piece I just linked to, the Times-reading demographic (prob typically middle class centre right?) are solidly on Lynnes side too.

Thanks for the share link 👍

I wish the times had put a picture of Lynne at the top of the article and the picture of the trophy-taker farther down in the piece; Lynne’s been so brave and deserves recognition for that bravery.

Here you go

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/8247c232-8328-11ee-8006-26a8adc181a5?shareToken=61d3e928bb39d6e7c2d6a63e1c610486

All that's true, but I think another factor, especially in sports like cue sports, where the physical advantages are there, but not so massive, is simple participation. If as many girls as boys played pool from an early age, it would improve the level of women players generally. Of course you could say that about many activities.

Yes, excellent point.

It's a great question to ask people - "so why are there no women winning against men in snooker / darts / chess etc?" They either have to answer with a very sexist "men are better" or acknowledge that women face physical or social barriers in some sports, even if not immediately obvious.

Which then helps people to see how unfair it is to allow transwomen to compete against women.

It's not just the physical differences in sport like this. Last night Beau Greaves, the women's world darts champion, lost very, very narrowly in the final pool stage round of the (open to both sexes) Grand Slam. She was really good but in the end it came down to the final darts, under huge pressure. Most (any?) male player, even much lower ranked, will have had way more experience of playing competitively in front of crowds, big and small, as well as the hours of practice beforehand. That has to be a major advantage, surely?

A sorry tale.

I wouldn't pretend to care about competitive pool but one of my pet hates is the old TRA fallback argument [alongside all the others] that, <<with all that's going on this world, is this really a battle we should be fighting.... no, so my side's demands must be accepted in their entirety, without exception>>.

But all that needs to be said can be summarised by quotes from two of the articles linked above.

Ultimate pool's website: "Haynes can lay claim to being the best women’s player on the planet right now".

Comment on social media from someone who appears to know what they're talking about: "What I do know is that Harriet Haynes was a bang average county 'b' player before transition"

I don’t have enough words to say how much I admire Lynne for what she did.

I have plenty left in the tank to describe what I feel about males who feel the need to cheat in plain sight.

‘Double H’ indeed.

Says everything. That and having the brass neck to actually pick up the trophy.

Only a man would think that was an okay thing to do.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2023/11/14/lynne-pinches-harriet-haynes-transgender-pool-player/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-12751469/Pool-player-Lynne-Pinches-son-hail-champ-face-transgender-opponent.html

Well done to her.

This has been picked up by the press, it’s in today’s Times.

Lynne ❤to you. you might not have won a trophy but you have won huge respect and admiration from many people for your action. Thankyou for taking a stand against something that we all know is terribly wrong.

Thank you Lynne.

Pool and also snooker need to sort this out. They are games where women really struggle to advance at, firstly, they are niche, then you pretty much need to be training 8 hours a day and there is no funding / women often have other responsibilities, it's also a historically male environment.

Absolutely pool deserves a sexed category, but it must actually mean sex to be fair to those it was intended to serve.

Yes, this is what I observe, too.

Thanks Zelda - that is enraging.

She's an absolute shero. Well done women's pool players for grouping together, taking action and supporting each other. Boo hiss to the professional association who decided menz feelz were more important than women's sporting excellence.

It gets worse the more you look into it. Poor pool playing women 😢

Read this article bearing in mind the truth that "Harriet" is a trans-identified male. Look at the ease of his victories against the best women players in the world. Read the sickening fawning commentary, pretending this is not an absolute outrage.

It's heartbreaking what he has stolen from such talented women, that can never be put right.

https://www.ultimatepoolgroup.com/article/hooray-harriet!-haynes-wins-maiden-women's-series-event

Are we really supposed to believe that he can't play on the men's team because it would trigger his dysphoria? I bet he plays against other blokes every day of the week.

It's almost like he has just found an easy way to cheat.

The science is already there.

Harriet Haynes obviously sprang fully formed from the head of Zeus but Chris/Christopher Haynes did not.

What are his stats as a man?
Was he Men's Champion of Champions?
What are his speeds / results / scores before and after transition?
Has his game improved or weakened since transition?

I can assure you I've had a look but just like darts player "Victoria" Monaghan, the information is not there. Unless Chris Haynes either never played before or was such a poor player before transition, they have gone from lower-league Men's player to Women's Champion of Champions in a year.

Lynne - what an absolute legend. Well done. I truly hope you inspire all sportswomen to do the same. There is no place for biological men in women's sports.

What @Iudncuewbccgrcb said, but the perceived male advantages aren't really the main point, are they? Surely the main point is fairness. It's a women's comp, it should be for women only. What I didn't get is that this issue didn't just magic up a couple of days ago. I didn't know HH was a TW, but she's been winning trophies for years, and obviously all the other women players would have known this, and (presumably) just sucked it up so far. Now someone has made a stand, I wonder what will happen.

Not just that, they're taller and have a longer reach. I'm 5ft1 and used to play some pool, and it's a real disadvantage being short.

Billboard Chris gave this explanation on X/Twitter about male/female differences in pool/snooker.