A Portuguese billiards player has caused a stir on social networks after controversial statements about the participation of transgender women in competitions. According to Alexandra Cunha, “there is no fairness in allowing biological males to play in a women’s league,” which is why she refuses to play against anyone “who has an Adam’s apple in one of these categories.”
Alexandra condemned in an interview with the newspaper Telegraph how women’s billiards has been affected in recent years by the issue of inclusion of transgender women in competition. The Portuguese, a 14-time world champion with a 32-year career, argues that players “born male have all the advantages that allow them to dominate biological females.”
“When I was a teenager, I didn’t have money to play, so I sat in a chair all day and watched for hours. When I took the bat, the men shouted that I was not welcome here and that it was time for me to go. I went home to wash my clothes. In five years I managed to beat them all. I still play with men, but in open categories. I refuse to play against someone who has an Adam’s apple in the women’s category. category,” he emphasized.
Also according to a British newspaper, the World Billiards Foundation, the body that governs the sport internationally, has changed the rules for the participation of transgender players in women’s tournaments and said there will be no discrimination based on gender identity. The measure sparked controversy, and within a week more than 60 professional players joined forces to oppose the change.
Transgender player Harriet Haynes has issued a statement insisting that sports such as billiards and snooker are not gender specific. “All the protest did was show that bigotry is alive and well and that misinformation about the situation is widespread,” he said.
According to Alexandra Cunha, the information that gender does not affect the performance of players is false. The Portuguese woman highlights the differences in physical and psychological conditions between women and men to support her point.
“When you see superior strength, muscle, muscle memory, the difference becomes obvious. Players born male have longer arms and a greater reach. In 32 years, I have never seen another biological woman with such strength and speed. it comes to breaking up,” he says, also noting that hormonal fluctuations and menopause have a noticeable impact.
For Alexandra, the ideal solution would be to create tournaments and competitions in specific categories for transgender people.
“I’m not for a minute suggesting that trans women play in men’s games, we need a new category, be it mixed, open or whatever the name is,” he explains.