Trans tennis player Brooklyn Ross, 27, sparks fury in Wyoming and female tennis association president quits after she’s allowed to compete in Governor’s Cup tournament: ‘It’s a very unfair matchup’

• A trans player’s participation in a Wyoming tournament sparked controversy
• The president of a tennis association resigned over the decision to let her play 

The president of a Wyoming tennis association has resigned in protest against a decision to allow a trans female player to participate in the woman’s singles category of the state’s Governor’s Cup.

Brooklyn Ross, 27, from Colorado has previously competed with women in college tournaments and is due to compete in the Wyoming Governor’s Cup this weekend.

Cheyenne Tennis Association President, Jackie Fulkrod, resigned over the controversy, citing fairness and a determination to protect the integrity of women’s sports.

‘I think a man playing against a woman is a very unfair matchup when it’s specifically meant for women in that specific draw,’ she told Cowboy State Daily. 

Trans tennis player Brooklyn Ross, 27, from Colorado has previously competed with women in college tournaments and is due to compete in the Wyoming Governor’s Cup this weekend

Cheyenne Tennis Association President, Jackie Fulkrod, resigned over the decision to allow a trans female player to participate in the woman’s singles category of the Wyoming Governor’s Cup

Ross transitioned six years ago and has been playing college tennis since 2019 – she recently completed a tennis season with a Texas college in the NCAA Division II – The University of Texas at Tyler.

She told Cowboy State Daily this is the first backlash she has faced in her career.

‘It’s always been positive and good,’ she said of her participation in women’s competitions thus far. ‘I feel sad this woman has resigned over this.’

Fulkrod, whose mother also resigned from the association’s board over Ross’ participation in the upcoming Governor’s Cup, defended her decision to stand down.

‘I feel like having a transgender athlete compete in the women’s draw is against my personal integrity and what I believe and value.’

‘My decision to resign was solely based on the fact that we didn’t have any way to protect our organization or protect our female athletes that are going to be playing in the tournament,’ Fulkrod added.

She also expressed concern about Ross using female bathrooms at Cheyenne Central High School, one of the venues hosting the Governor’s Cup.

‘There would be other biological females using the facility at the same time, and I just think that’s so wrong,’ she told the publication.

Ross encouraged her critics to come and watch the competition.

‘They probably haven’t had the experience of any trans woman being able to play, and I’m glad to be able to be able to kind of stand up for some of those people without a voice,’ she said. ‘Kids that have to choose between their authenticity and playing a game.’ 

‘This is an opportunity for them to be able to come see a trans woman competing and see a real example, not a hypothetical or theoretical,’ Ross said.

Ross recently completed a tennis season with a Texas college in the NCAA Division II

Ross encouraged her critics to come and watch the competition and said she felt Fulkrod’s decision to resign was unnecessary

The director of the tournament, Peg Connor, who is also an executive director of the Wyoming Tennis Association, would not say who made the decision allowing Ross to compete.

The Governor’s Cup tournament is overseen by the United States Tennis Association. 

When asked about the decision to allow Ross to compete with women, Connor referred Cowboy State Daily to the USTA’s transgender policy.

‘Tennis thrives when the sport embraces inclusion,’ the USTA says in its statement on transgender athletes. ‘For that reason, tennis is open to all regardless of one’s age, ethnicity, race, religious background, sexual orientation or gender identity.’

Fulkrod has served on the board for nearly two years and claimed to the publication that she is not the only person on it to feel strongly about Ross’ participation. 

Source: Read Full Article