LTA ‘breaking law' by letting trans women play in female contests

Times

27-07-2025

The Lawn Tennis Association has been accused of breaking the law by encouraging tennis clubs to allow transgender women to play in internal competitions for female players.
In January this year the LTA, Britain's national governing body for tennis, banned trans women from competing in the women's category for most domestic tournaments.
However, the ban did not extend to social tournaments and championship competitions held within tennis clubs, in which many female grassroots players compete.
Instead, in an update of its trans and non-binary participation policy, the LTA ruled that it was at the discretion of the individual clubs as to whether trans women should be allowed to take part in these internal 'non-specified competitions'.
The guidance also goes a step further by encouraging tennis clubs to permit transgender women to participate in female competitions they hold internally.
It states: 'We strongly encourage venues to start from a presumption of being inclusive for trans and non-binary players by ensuring they provide competitive opportunities which allow them to take part in the category which matches their gender identity.'
In addition, it says that officials and organisers need to think about what is more important at this level of competition: 'Ensuring absolute fairness in the competition or making trans people feel included and a part of your tennis community by enabling them to compete in the category that matches their gender identity.'
Campaigners lobbying for female sporting categories to remain single-sex claim that the LTA's policy is 'unlawful', which the tennis governing body denies. They say it leaves tennis clubs open to being sued, particularly in light of the Supreme Court judgment earlier this year.
The Supreme Court ruled in April that under the Equality Act 2010 the legal definition of a 'man' and a 'woman' refers to their biological sex.
In the wake of this judgment many sporting bodies moved to amend their transgender inclusion policies to ban trans women from competing in female categories.
Su Wong from SEEN in Sport, one of the campaign groups opposed to the LTA's guidance, said: 'Most people are unaware that the LTA is encouraging clubs to adopt a policy that exposes them to risk of litigation.
'They are encouraging tennis players to be allowed to self-ID as the opposite sex, which is not recognised in UK law, and they have not adjusted this policy following the Supreme Court ruling. 'Inclusion' somehow never includes the women who want to play single-sex sports.'
Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, who has campaigned to keep women's sport single sex, wrote on X: 'This is an insane & illegal position by the LTA.'
Sharron Davies
LIA TOBY/GETTY IMAGES
A senior LTA source rejected the suggestion that the Supreme Court judgment requires sporting governing bodies to ban trans women from playing the female category at levels including recreational play.
He told The Times that it was important clubs had flexibility to set their own rules about trans inclusion in internal competitions for a number of reasons.
For example, he said it would be 'nonsensical' if a club specifically set up for LGBTQ people could not hold a competition which was trans and non-binary inclusive.
He made the further point that banning transgender women from all forms of competition in the female category would mean that they could not play in the gender with which they identify at any time, even with people who were perfectly happy to do so.
But Wong questioned: 'Why don't the LTA recognise that trans players are already included in their own sex and mixed-sex categories and focus on making them feel welcomed and included there?'
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A spokesman for the LTA said 'A policy which allows clubs the freedom to make their decisions locally is compliant with the law.
'However, we will continue to keep the policy under review, in particular in the context of any further guidance from government and other relevant public sector bodies'.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has issued an 'interim update' on the practical implications of the Supreme Court judgment, said it will address the rules about when competitive sports can be single sex in due course.