Fuss about Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Scandal over trans woman in darts – opponent does not show up for the game
By Kevin Schulte
May 6, 2024, 5:09 p.m
There was a scandal in darts at the weekend because the Englishwoman Deta Hedman preferred to withdraw from a tournament rather than compete against the transwoman Noa-Lynn van Leuven. “Biological men should not compete in women’s sports,” criticizes Hedman.
This week should have been a very special one for Noa-Lynn van Leuven: Thanks to strong performances this year, the trans woman from the Netherlands made it into the field of participants for two tournaments on the professional darts tour in Hildesheim. As a replacement, the 27-year-old Dutchwoman was also able to compete against one of the most successful and well-known players in the world: Although she suffered a straight 6-0 defeat against two-time world champion Gary Anderson, just taking part is a huge deal for the Dutchwoman Success. But van Leuven’s impressive development and her start in Hildesheim are not the stories that are currently being told about the trans woman from the Netherlands.
Instead, Noa-Lynn van Leuven has – once again – involuntarily made the headlines. The Jamaican-born Englishwoman Deta Hedman – at 64 years old, with countless titles and three Women’s World Cup finals, one of the best dart players ever – should have competed against van Leuven on Saturday at a tournament organized by the amateur darts association WDF. But the quarter-final duel between the two at the Denmark Open was canceled because Hedman refused to play against van Leuven.
This was no surprise for those familiar with the darts scene, as Hedman has been vehemently opposed to van Leuven’s participation in women’s tournaments for months. “I don’t think biologically born men should compete in women’s sports,” Hedman emphasized her opinion at X on Monday. Hedman sees the fairness of the competition at risk if trans women are allowed to take part in women’s competitions. “The years-long fight for women’s rights in darts is being destroyed in the name of inclusion,” Hedman wrote in early April.
Association? “No evidence that trans women have an advantage”
The WDF, as the organizing association, sees the situation differently and writes in its current rules that trans women are allowed to take part in competitions for women, provided that gender reassignment therapy has been carried out for at least one year and this is confirmed by medical evidence. “Until there are clearer studies on the visual-spatial differences, the WDF will continue to allow transgender athletes to compete in WDF women’s ranking tournaments in accordance with the existing transgender policy,” commented the WDF At the end of April this year.
This means that the WDF relies on the findings of science, which, in the WDF’s opinion, currently only allow one conclusion: There is currently no clear evidence that trans women have an advantage over their competitors.
Darts world deeply divided
Critics – there are a few of them in the strongly conservative darts sport alongside Hedman – accuse trans women of having an advantage because they have gone through male puberty and do not suffer from menstrual problems. When van Leuven sensationally became the first non-male participant to win a cross-gender PDC tournament in mid-March – also in Hildesheim – the turmoil in the darts world became particularly clear. After the transformed match dart at the tournament as part of the Challenge Tour (second league of darts), only some of the competition applauded and congratulated, ntv.de knows from participant circles.
There are two camps in the Leuven case. But only a few players express their opinions openly. In addition to Hedman, the Dutch Anca Zijlstra and Aileen de Graaf have recently repeatedly criticized van Leuven – sometimes quite harshly. Ziljstra even announced her resignation from the Dutch national team via a Facebook statement – because of Noa-Lynn van Leuven. “The moment you are ashamed to represent the Dutch team because a biological man plays in the women’s team, I will leave. “
Van Leuven, on the other hand, receives support from Vincent van der Voort. The long-time PDC professional, best friend and best man of superstar Michael van Gerwen, once even advised van Leuven to take part in PDC women’s tournaments. “Vincent gave me the final push. He asked the PDC if I could take part,” van Leuven reported to the Dutch TV station “NOS” last year.
PDC boss with a clear edge
Refuses to play against Noa-Lynn van Leuven: Deta Hedman
(Photo: picture alliance / empics)
The topic has recently come up again and again outside of arrow sports: trans women are not allowed to take part in swimming, athletics and cycling.
It’s different in darts, where not only the WDF allows Noa-Lynn van Leuven to play in the women’s competition. The professional darts organization PDC, where van Leuven is the only non-male person in the 128-strong starting field this week, has also had its own women’s division for a few years. Here, too, Hedman and van Leuven are vying for prize money in the same group of players, and the Dutchwoman can also take part here. Since this year, the 27-year-old has been part of the top group of players: multiple World Cup participant Fallon Sherrock, teenage sensation Beau Greaves, top Japanese player Mikuru Suzuki and van Leuven usually win tournaments among themselves.
PDC managing director Matt Porter recently vehemently defended Noa-Lynn van Leuven’s participation in the Women’s Series in the British podcast “The Weekly Dartscast” and lashed out against critics. “The scum that was thrown at Noa-Lynn is completely unacceptable.” Porter is also worried about the mental state of the Dutchwoman caught in the crossfire. “We have to make sure that she is mentally well and that we are there for her when she needs us.”
Van Leuven himself tries not to let the criticism get to him too strongly. The hostility was “corrosive,” she recently told the “Dartsnews” portal. Many people “forget that I am human too”.