The English Blackball Pool federation is having to defend protecting the female category in court and need help from us...

There is no update on their fundraising page - but as Let Women Play Pool ended with an agreement that pool was a gender affected sport I dont see how they could possibly lose.

I have been thinking about this case recently. Does anyone have any idea when we are likely to have the judgement? I'm sure at the tribunal, they said they would wait to hear the outcome of the FWS case at the Supreme Court.

Donation bump. Hope they hold their nerve.

That and conveniently ignoring the fact that women usually do the vast majority of housework, childcare and general home admin in additionto their jobs. I doubt very much that he gets involved in such lowly things as that would prevent him from practicing and travelling all over to play.

They’ve raised £4800-ish so far, hopefully that will be useful in defending their case.

Their decision to create a Female and an Open category would seem to fall within the provisions for sport within the Equality Act 2010 (it’s a proportional measure to achieve a legitimate aim) and other sporting federations have created these same categories without any legal issues, so I don’t know on what grounds HH is claiming discrimination.

well, yes.

greater ability to hang around for hours in pubs practicing without being hassled

That's the biggest factor IMO. If as many girls as boys took up the game, we'd see a lot more top women pros.

Gardened.

https://www.thetimes.com/article/pool-player-forfeits-final-rather-than-play-trans-woman-r9hlqdqt7

🤢

Ah, a number of cross posts 😁

Yes I think your last point should not be under estimated.

Men also have a social advantage in that it's a lot more acceptable for teenage boys to hang around pubs playing pool than teenage girls so there's a huge practice time advantage for boys

The male advantage may be less stark than, say, weightlifting. Doesn't mean it's not there. Wider hand span, longer limbs, greater ability to hang around for hours in pubs practicing without being hassled ... it all adds up.

As someone said upthread - the process is the punishment. If a sport runs a women's competition, then it should be reserved for women.
Off to garden for this excellent cause.

HH has already got a billet with the Ultimate Pool set-up, which is effectively a rival to the blackball game. So there's a bit of a power struggle going on in pool anyway. The UP people don't seem to object to her taking part, but I didn't realise she wanted to get in on the blackball game as well. I always wonder about the women she plays against, how happy they are to do so? Of course they all smile politely and shake hands, but it does make me wonder. Pool seems to be one of the few sports where men and women can realistically compete against each. Indeed, in amateur competitions that I regularly watch online, there are children competing too. There is this one lad in Yorkshire, he is about ten years old, and he is a remarkable talent, good enough to beat top adults. Which is great, for an open category. The point I'm making is that unlike, say, football or hockey, there is no massive male advantage, and men and women can and do compete against each other. But women's comps should be for natal women.

At what point do the courts start to recognise this and award eg court costs accordingly I wonder?

Surely men can never be women- It’s a biological impossibility.

That is the plan. Look at all the post-Forstater GC discrimination cases which should never have gone to court, or which were settled at the last minute. The process is the punishment.

This quote:

“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 onto me and the fact that I have transitioned? I would feel incredibly embarrassed by being forced into a position where I was the only female playing in an open category.”

As if we all can't see this person has 'transitioned' 🤔into the female category.

I'm generally of the view that this issue isn't important enough for government to intervene in/that individual sports are doing enough to get their own houses in order without the need for heavy-handed intervention, but if it were to get to the stage where every one of these individual sports was getting dragged through the courts, having to fight for every last inch of territory that it wants to preserve for females only, then you do start to wonder...

Did some shallow digging. Will try to remember to come back for some proper gardening

It's a classic of the Try Harder genre! Always the misogyny shines through

Dug got this worthy cause.

Harriet can fuck off with 'I don't believe I have an advantage' - rules do not revolve around what you believe to be true (see also: what sex is this person)

Yes exactly @PrimalLass and also a completely groundless claim because Harriet has absolutely no idea how hard women players practised during Covid

(I refuse to write "other females")