Transgender Golfer Sues LPGA

Lana Lawless, a women's world champion in long-drive golf, is suing the LPGA after being denied entry into the same event this year because of a policy that says competitors must be "female at birth."

According to The New York Times, since Lawless won the competition in 2008, Long Drivers of America, which oversees the competition, changed its rules to match the LPGA policy. Her federal lawsuit claims that the requirement violates California civil rights law. The suit also names Long Drivers of America and its corporate sponsors Dick's Sporting Goods and Re/Max, and tournament sponsor CVS.

"A lawyer for Long Drivers of America and a spokesman for the L.P.G.A. declined to comment on the 13-page lawsuit because they said they had not yet seen it," the Times reported. "The lawsuit, filed in United States District Court in San Francisco, seeks an unspecified amount in damages and a permanent injunction preventing the tour from holding tournaments or qualifying events in California as long as it continues to exclude transgender people."

Lawless is a 57-year-old retired police officer who had gender-reassignment surgery in 2005. The LPGA Challenge begins Thursday in Danville, Calif.