Trans golfer comes out against biological men competing in women's sports

A golfer born as a male who identifies as a transgender woman says it is a "slap in the face to women" when "male-bodied" competitors end up wiping out the competition.

Mianne Bagger, now-55, became the first transgender golfer to compete in a professional tournament, in 2004 at the Women's Australian Open.

Despite her own history, Bagger recently said during a recent interview on Australian TV that biological males competing against biological females has "crossed the line."

"It's a slap in the face to women," Bagger also said during an interview with "Insight."

Presently, rules allow "male-bodied people presenting as women, who live as women, with varying degrees of medical intervention and in some degrees, no medical intervention," the golfer said. "It’s crossed the line, in my view, it really has."

Bagger further criticized the International Olympic Committee's most recently introduced set of guidelines, which declares that the body will no longer mandate specific hormone levels for transgender athletes to compete as the gender they say they are.

Bagger says the guidelines essentially deny "the impact of testosterone on physical performance," which is "obviously utter rubbish." 

"Anyone with any basic understanding on biology and the difference between men and women knows it’s ridiculous," the golfer continued. "It’s male puberty that really grants boys and men that physical performance in sport. I think it’s irrefutable – it’s ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

"We want equality, lack of discrimination, and of course every single person should have equal access to life and services and work in society," Bagger said of the trans community, but "sport is about physical ability. It’s not just about discrimination, it’s not just about equality and equal access. It is a physical ability."

Bagger also said the must be a "divide," considering the significant sums of money, medals and world records at stake.

The golfer suggested being open to trans-women competing as a result of stricter policies but "current, softened policies that are requiring less and less medical intervention of a male-bodied person entering women’s sport" don't stand up to scrutiny.