Transgender darts star Noa-Lynn van Leuven says ‘I always lose, whether I win or not’ as she opens up on ‘humiliation’
NOA-LYNN VAN LEUVEN has opened up on the humiliation she has felt while competing this year.
The Dutch star, 28, is set to become the first transgender player to compete at the PDC World Darts Championship when it gets underway in December.
GettyNoa-Lynn van Leuven is set to compete at Alexandra Palace[/caption]
Darts remains one of the few sports in which men and women are allowed to compete against each other.
Van Leuven qualified for Alexandra Palace due to her exploits at the PDC Women’s Series, in which she finished as runner-up.
After Van Leuven lost a previous contest against Lorraine King, the assembled crowd broke out into passionate applause.
Reliving the moment while talking to Dutch outlet NU, she said: “That was so humiliating.
“I thought: now I lose and it’s still not good. Actually, I always lose, whether I win or not.”
While Van Leuven has had support from some of her younger darts colleagues, others have made things difficult.
Her Dutch compatriots Anca Zijlstra and Aileen de Graaf have both refused to play for their national team if Van Leuven is in the squad.
While English player Deta Hedman has at times refused to face Van Leuven.
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Van Leuven recently won gold with the Dutch team and in the pairs tournament at the WDF World Cup.
But ahead of the competition, a members’ meeting took place and decided that trans women would no longer be welcome at WDF events.
It is not yet known when the ruling will come into effect.
On some of the reaction towards her, Van Leuven said: “They secretly tell me that they don’t understand the commotion.
“But there are a lot of conservative, toxic b****** on the women’s tour.
“They see me as a threat.”
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The PDC make a point of switching off comments when posting about Van Leuven on X.
On the online abuse she has received, Van Leuven added: “People send the most terrible messages and then go on preparing their pasta.
“They have no idea the impact it has on my life.
“I didn’t dare go out on the street for several weeks and had panic attacks. It did take a while for that fear to go away.”
However, Van Leuven has also revealed she has had some far more welcome feedback following her qualification for the World Championships.
She said: “I have already received invitations from three or four talk shows, but I don’t know yet what I will do with them.
“I was surprised by the many positive messages I received, though. My WhatsApp and Instagram exploded, but the first messages I read were very positive. Then I still thought: wow, maybe it will be something someday.”
