A darts fan who was kicked out of the World Matchplay event in Blackpool for protesting against transgender player Noa-Lynn van Leuven has revealed bruising she claims was inflicted by security during her removal.
Jean Hatchet was one of three women removed from the Winter Gardens on Sunday after holding a banner reading: ‘He’s a man’ and the other wearing a shirt which said: ‘Save women’s sport.’
The women were escorted out the building for attempting to protest as van Leuven made her entrance.
Van Leuven, 28, who began her gender transition as a teenager, has stormed up the women’s rankings in recent months by winning multiple titles, and completed her hormone therapy in 2022.
Following the incident, Hatchet took to social media, revealed bruising on her arm she claimed was inflicted by security and offered a defiant defence of her actions.
‘Hello PDC… This is what your security did,’ she wrote on X. ‘I offered to walk out if they gave me my bag.
WARNING : Strong language
A darts fan has revealed bruising she claims was inflicted by security when she was kicked out of an event in Blackpool for protesting a transgender player
Darts fans have claimed they were kicked out of the Women’s World Matchplay for protesting against Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Jean Hatchet held a banner reading: ‘He’s a man’, while another protester wore a a shirt which said: ‘Save women’s sport.’
Transgender darts star Noa-Lynn van Leuven finished hormone therapy back in 2022
‘This is for standing up while a man played in women’s darts. This is all your work. #NoMenInWomensSport.’
In a series of posts on Monday morning, Hatchet revealed new images of the encounter, accusing the security of ‘abuse’ and alleging that she was on the end of ‘shameful’ homophobic slurs.
‘All I did was say stand up, for a few seconds hold a sign saying “He’s a man”, attempt to get to my girlfriend who was also being assaulted by your staff to help her, and ask to walk out with my belongings without their hands on me,’ she wrote in another post.
‘Noa-Lynn Van Leuven is still a man. No flashbacks to abuse, no abuse from your men, will prevent me from saying it or standing up for women.
‘Get used to women like me. If you hold us down, we get back up, we carry on. You have to kill us to stop us.’
The incident took place when Van Leuven was set to make her entrance to take on Lorraine Winstanley – a game she won 4-0. The two protestors appeared to stand, with security leaping to them right away and appeared to take them out the premises.
Hatchet also claimed that she, alongside her girlfriend, who was also removed, was at no point asked to leave and would have done so had she been asked.
When approached by Mail Sport for comment, Hatchet said: ‘We saw that PDC the organisers intended to allow Noa-Lynn Van Leuven to compete again in the UK despite the recent Supreme Court ruling clarifying the meaning of the word woman to mean, as it has always meant, “biological female”.
She said ahead of last year’s World Championship that she had received death threats
‘We wanted to make a simple statement that Van Leuven is a man, he should compete as he used to in the men’s competition. We sat quietly enjoying the darts. People held up many signs with different messages encouraged by the event. I don’t know how or why but when I held up one saying “he’s a man” within seconds I was grabbed hard by security and the sign ripped from my hands.
‘My girlfriend didn’t get a chance to hold hers up at all before we were attacked by more security. They grabbed us hard and pushed us and then more arrived. I shouted that I just wanted to get my bag and I’d leave. They refused and really grabbed me hard. I tried to struggle because they were really hurting me. I said “let me walk out, just give me my bag” but they all grabbed me harder. I have really serious bruises. At one point the man said “Why are you doing this homophobic s***?”
‘It was painful and humiliating and they pushed and shoved me when they finally dropped me. It was disgusting. They handed me over to Winter Gardens Staff who looked a bit shocked but didn’t intervene.’
Van Leuven revealed before the World Championship last year that she had faced adversity in the build-up, receiving death threats, while team-mates Aileen de Graaf and Anca Zijlstra refused to play with her and English player Deta Hedman against her.
She became the first transgender player to compete at the Grand Slam of Darts in November last year, and she has qualified to play at the World Championship at Alexandra Palace for the first time last Christmas.
PDC chief executive Matt Porter insisted last year that the current policy on transgender players is ‘fair’, giving Van Leuven the green light to compete on the biggest stage.
Still, both men and women compete equally in the tournament. Focus has generally been on the star competing in women’s events, with Hedman arguing: ‘People can be whoever they want in life, but I don’t think biologically born men should compete in women’s sports.’
Van Leuven again opened up on the discrimination she has faced, suggesting she does not have an advantage over other women at the oche.
Two of the protesters showed off their banners outside the Winter Gardens on Sunday
‘Sometimes I’m accused of having an advantage over others because of my height,’ she said. ‘But look at Beau [Greaves]. We’re the same height. Or look at Phil Taylor. He’s beaten everyone and he’s a small guy.’
‘Others see an alleged advantage in the movements of my hips. I would stand differently than CIS women.
‘Then there are people who come up with a study from handball, according to which there are differences between men and women in the throw, specifically in the backswing, and also in the lunge movement.
‘So, the last time I played darts, I didn’t do a backswing or a lunge. It’s f***ing darts. What are we talking about?’
The PDC were contacted by Mail Sport for comment.
