TL;DR:
- The World Darts Federation banned trans women from female competitions.
- Dutch champion Noa-Lynn van Leuven now ineligible despite past victories.
- The policy only allows athletes assigned female at birth in women’s darts.
- The rule follows a global wave of trans sports bans after Trump’s order.
- LGBTQ advocates say it’s about exclusion, not fairness.
Noa-Lynn van Leuven, the Dutch darts sensation known for precision and poise, is now hitting back after being benched—not by bad form, but by a rulebook rewrite. The World Darts Federation (WDF) dropped the dart on trans inclusion this week, unveiling a gender policy that blocks trans women from female competitions. And van Leuven isn’t staying silent.
“It’s a loss for the trans community in sports. And that breaks my heart,” she wrote on Instagram, her words landing heavier than a triple-20. “Inclusion in sports has to be more than just a buzzword. It needs to be real, tangible, practiced—not just promised.”
The newly minted WDF policy, effective immediately, makes participation in all women’s and girls’ tournaments exclusive to those “recorded female at birth.” Translation? Trans women like van Leuven are out. Trans men, however, can still play—as long as they’re not on hormone treatment. Everyone else? Shoved into the “open” category, a vague competitive limbo.
The WDF claims the move follows democratic due process—a vote last September by national darts bodies. But for van Leuven and countless LGBTQ athletes, the result is the same: another door slammed shut in the name of so-called “fairness.”
In its statement, the WDF offered a sprinkle of sympathy: “We understand these changes may be challenging…” But the damage is done. One of darts’ brightest stars is now disqualified, not because she lost her aim, but because of who she is.
And this isn’t an isolated incident. The sports world has turned cold to trans women in recent months. Since Donald Trump’s executive order banning trans women and girls from female competitions in February, a chilling domino effect has swept global sport. World Athletics, the U.S. Olympic Committee, the NCAA—one by one, they’ve adopted exclusionary rules. Now, darts joins the list.
Supporters of these bans toss around words like “safety,” “fairness,” and “integrity.” But for LGBTQ athletes, the message is loud and clear: You’re not welcome unless you fit a rigid mold. For trans women in particular, it’s a devastating reminder of how quickly rights can be revoked, and how easily policy can erase visibility.
The implications go beyond trophies. For many LGBTQ people, sports are about belonging, self-expression, and community. To be excluded because of gender identity sends a painful signal, especially to young trans athletes watching this unfold from the sidelines.
Noa-Lynn van Leuven isn’t just fighting for her spot at the oche—she’s standing up for a future where trans athletes don’t have to explain their humanity. “These policies don’t just ban players,” she wrote, “they erase stories, silence journeys, and fracture communities.”
And in that, the real bullseye isn’t on the dartboard—it’s on progress itself.