Women's Tennis Association bans trans women & will require mandatory sex testing to competehttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/07/womens-tennis-association-bans-trans-women-will-require-mandatory-testing-to-compete/ 🔗Molly Sprayregen (20 July 2026)
The global organizing body for professional women's tennis will institute a new policy on Tuesday requiring all competitors to undergo testing to confirm their female sex.
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) announced that the policy will "preserve the integrity of women's professional tennis and maintain fair competition conditions" by confirming whether players have the SRY gene, which is located on the Y chromosome and plays a major role in the development of male genitalia. Testing for the gene typically involves a blood test or a cheek swab.
The rule mirrors those implemented by both World Athletics and the International Olympic Committee. The WTA's statement on the mandatory testing appears to have been removed from its website, but according to The Athletic, the organization said it "recognizes that this is a sensitive and complex issue and is committed to treating all players with dignity and implementing the policy in a respectful and thoughtful way."
Dr. Andrew Sinclair, the professor who first identified the SRY gene, said that testing for the gene is an inadequate method of establishing biological sex.
"All it tells you is whether or not the gene is present. It does not tell you how SRY is functioning, whether a testis has formed, whether testosterone is produced, and, if so, whether it can be used by the body," Sinclair wrote last August.
