Noa-Lynn van Leuven is a transgender woman making waves in the world of darts. With some wins under her belt, the World Darts Federation has her ranked as the No. 5 woman in the world.
Deta Hedman, from England, is ranked No. 7.
Yet without throwing a dart, van Leuven beat Hedman recently as the latter chose to forfeit their match. She refused to compete against van Leuven because she’s a trans woman.
Hedman’s comment to the German publication Bild about the forfeit crudely called van Leuven a “man,” saying she would not compete against her.
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Riley Gaines, the former college swimmer who has become one of the faces of advocacy against trans athletes, jumped into the fray, offering to pay Hedman for her forfeit.
“I must get into contact with Deta Hedman,” Gaines said on X. “I want to pay her the prize money she missed out on.”
At 64, Hedman is still competing in the sport that brought her so much acclaim. She’s won the World Masters twice and been a runner-up for the World Championship three times.
Hedman has hinted at retirement, and the possibility that the inclusion of trans women might lead to that.
“Always said I would stop playing when the enjoyment has gone from playing, think the present issues with the ladies game that time is getting closer,” she previously said, according to Darts News.
Hedman hasn’t heard the last of van Leuven. The trans athlete is poised to be part of the darts circuit for the foreseeable future. Of course, the darts world could choose to ban her from the female competition, as have other sports. For now, it’s full-steam ahead for the relative newcomer.
