Tennis & Male Self ID

[mb2512cat]

With Wimbledon tennis starting on 30th June, the Lawn Tennis Association continues to discriminate against women and girls. It’s still holding out unlike cricket and football.

1. until the end of 2024, it allowed men to compete in women’s tennis at all levels
2. since the beginning of 2025 it continues to allow males to play in female tennis at the club level
3. While notionally letting clubs choose whether to let men access female changing rooms their whole policy strongly encourages ‘inclusion’
4. allows males to apply for ”programmes, services and grants which are targeted towards or allocated for women”

As Fair Play for Women noted in their report on ‘inclusion’ in sport:

“Tennis: The girls in every round all lost out to a male
A junior girl at county standard lost a final to a player that she and her father both thought was
male. They felt they could not say anything, but they felt it was unfair even though the LTA rules
allow it. The girls in every round all lost out to a male.”

if you have any experiences of the impact of male self ID in tennis, particularly if it was in an LTA club, please say down below and spread the word to girls/parents etc who aren’t on MN.

"allows males to apply for ”programmes, services and grants which are targeted towards or allocated for women”
🤬🤬🤬🤬👎

Why are they making a distinction between elite and club level? Is it because they know they'll get their fucking arses kicked if the general public watch rubbish men beating brilliant female tennis players?

I hope the question comes up in every bloody interview over the fortnight.

I thought the Supreme Court ruling meant they couldn't do that

Laws against murder don't stop murderers. It doesn't mean they can't do it, it means they are in the wrong. They still do it and its left to women who are affected to challenge it each and every time.

Trans people take note. We had rights and protections written into laws, and you made it socially acceptable for organisations to break the law. The same thing can happen to you just as easily.

I think you’re onto something there Datun. Terrible optics.

Someone should flag this to Andy Murray, I bet he wouldn’t be afraid to say something.

My guess is that perhaps they had a male player coming up to reach the upper levels and perhaps that’s what prompted them to grant fairness for elite but that grassroots is about #BeKind and inclusion. But unless we get someone from the inside of the LTA to tell us what really happened, we can only guess. The policy of elite vs grassroots is since January 2025. They haven’t done anything since the SC ruling.

It’s effectively voluntary compliance until someone is discriminated against and brings a successful claim. That’s why so many organisations are holding out.