Trans Dart Thrower Outraged over Ban on Men in Women's Competition

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A transgender dart thrower has expressed outrage after the World Darts Federation ruled that men will not be allowed to participate in female competition.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Noa-Lynn van Leuven called the new rule a "loss for the trans community in sports."

"This past Monday, the WDF (World Darts Federation) released a new policy regarding gender eligibility. I want to take a moment to respond. This decision does affect me personally -- though, thankfully, not too severely at this point in time. But still, it hurts," Van Leuven wrote.

"Once again, it's a loss for the trans community in sports. And that breaks my heart. As a trans person in the darts world, I know how vital inclusion is -- not just on paper, but in practice," van Leuven added.

Van Leuven said that "fairness" in women's sports has resulted in "exclusion."

"It's disheartening to see yet another policy framed around 'fairness' that ultimately results in exclusion, without truly considering the people behind the labels. My heart goes out to all the athletes impacted by this. We remain visible. We keep going," van Leuven wrote.

According to Fox News, van Leuven twice "reached the WDF Dutch Open semifinals in 2023 and 2024 but has since moved to the Professional Darts Championship circuit. Van Leuven has won six women's PDC titles."