Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: England
Ryan Smart
Piers Morgan has prompted fierce debate with his response to two transgender players competing in the final of a women's pool event.
Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith both reached the final of the Ultimate Pool Women's Pro Series event in Wigan on Saturday. Haynes won the match.
Reacting to Saturday's final between the two transgender players, British broadcaster Morgan tweeted: "Preposterous. Why anyone supports this cheating bulls**t is utterly beyond me."
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In a separate response to journalist Tom Harwood, who asked what is the 'sex advantage men have over women' in pool, Morgan replied: "Make pool gender-neutral and find out..."
Haynes won two events in the series last season, while Smith won once.
On Monday, Haynes will appear in court after taking legal action against the English Blackball Pool Federation (EBPF).
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The governing body decided to restrict their ladies' events to people who were born female.
Haynes brought a discrimination case on the grounds of the protected characteristic of gender reassignment against two board members of the EBPF, which announced in 2023 that the Ladies' and Men's Tours would be replaced by the Female Tour and Open Tour, with only people who were born female made eligible to compete in the Female Tour.
The court's judgment will depend on whether it can be proven that transgender competitors have an advantage over cisgender - born female - competitors.
The EBPF argue that trans women have an advantage due to their greater hand span, stronger fingers and longer limbs, which can make a 'discernible difference'.
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Earlier this year, a rival competitor of Haynes walked out on a match in protest against her participation.
Speaking to The Independent in December, Haynes said: "The evidence that we've received from our expert witnesses shows that we have no advantage.
"They've shown that pool isn't a gender affected sport."
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"Trans women have been playing pool, in the women's section, for many, many years," Haynes continued. "The sport was always really, really welcoming and that was why I felt at home playing it.
"Up and down the country, women beat men on a daily basis."