Controversy over a women's pool final in the UK: The title will be contested by two transgender athletes

Two biological men who identify as women will battle it out in the finals of the Ultimate Pool Women's Pro Series Event 2 women's pool tournament next Sunday.

During the pre-games, attendees in the stands held up signs reading "Save women’s sport" and "He’s a man," reported British media outlet The Telegraph. Protesters took aim at Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith, who beat four competitors to reach the final.

Among the protesters was Lynne Pinches, a 2023 player who refused to play in a final against Harriet Haynes, a trans athlete who will compete over the weekend.

"After a complaint by Harriet Haynes partner, I was told to leave the Ultimate Pool event yesterday," Pinches recounted on her social media. "I was wearing my bodycam for my own protection. I removed it upon request after being told no filming in the rooms. To then be told by UP I wasn't allowed in with or without it."

"This is a category advantage. Being biologically male and playing against females gives you a clear category advantage," Pinches had explained her protests, in words picked up by The Telegraph. "I watch some of the shots they play, and I think females don’t play these shots down the rails like this and they don’t clear up like this. They [trans women] have a longer reach and a lot of them are taller than us."

Late last year, Haynes defended her participation in the women's categories. "The evidence that we’ve received from our expert witnesses shows that I have no advantage," Haynes told The Independent in an interview. "We’re not talking about boxing or golf - we’re talking about pool."

The policy of Britain's top pool organizations varies. While the English Blackball Pool Federation (EBPF) rejected Haynes' participation because she was not born a woman, Ultimate Pool Group allows it. Haynes filed suit against the EBPF, Pinches v. UP and the World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) for forcing her to compete against trans athletes.