Playing in the Denmark Open, a darts event, British darts female champion Deta Hedman refused to play against a transgender athlete in the match’s quarter-final round. Because of that refusal, which Hedman justified by saying she “wouldn’t play a man in a ladies event,” she forfeited her quarter-final to her transgender opponent Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
As a result of that forfeiture, Hedman missed her chance to potentially compete in the Denmark Open’s semi-finals round. However, Riley Gaines, the former college swimming star turned women’s athletics advocate, offered to gift Hedman the prize money she could have won had she not forfeited the match against van Leuven.
Gaines made that offer on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “I must get into contact with Deta Hedman. I want to pay her the prize money she missed out on, just as @SethDillon and I did with billiards player Kim O’Brien for taking the same stand. Bravery deserves to be rewarded.” The billiards incident she references was a very similar situation, but one which ended with, after the match, the player who forfeited being honored in the public sphere for her stand for women’s sports.
In any case, the match forfeiture was nothing of a surprise for Hedman, who has been a vocal critic of transgender participation in women’s sports. She even, after this incident, fired back when a journalist claimed on social media that she got out of the match by telling tournament organizers she had an illness. Responding to that accusation, she said, “No fake illness, I said I wouldn’t play a man in a ladies event. Don’t listen to @phillbarrs he knows sweet [f*** all], nor does his reliable source.”
Further, posting on her Facebook account about the tournament, Hedman said, “Back to reality nice 10 hour night shift done , with it being bank holiday the work was manic and didn’t sit down at all apart from my lunch break. Was amazed at amount of colleagues who come up and congratulated me ! I laughed and said I lost/forfeited last 8 match, and got my arse handed to me 4/0 from the legend Beau Greaves in the other semi final. Must say many thanks to the DDU ( Denmark darts) for the way they handled the situation and putting on such a great weekend . Carsten Jeppesen my dear friend I hope you enjoy a stress free retirement and hope to see you next year.”
Responding, one commenter wrote, “you just keep on being you! fight for what you believe is right, it seems that Women in sports are allowed to be dictated too. Nobody could be prouder of you for how you handled a dramatic weekend, with you 150%” and another added “You won in my eyes. Well done and keep fighting the good fight.”
This wasn’t Hedman’s first time jumping into the fray and saying that she is against transgender participation in the sport. She did so as well in a lengthy post in December of 2023, explaining why she is against allowing transgender darts players to participate in the women’s dart competitions.
Featured image credit: By Darts Planet TV – I BLUSHED WHEN INTERVIEWING DETA HEDMAN | WHAT A LOVELY LADY at 0:56, cropped, brightened, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84760195
"*" indicates required fields