Lana Lawless with her long drive trophy. (Photo Credit: CC BY/Golfheimur)

The Associated Press reports that Lana Lawless, a 57-year-old who elected to undergo gender reassignment surgery in 2005, has filed a lawsuit against the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association (LPGA). The case before the U.S. District Court in San Francisco addresses the legality of the LPGA’s rule that all golfers must be “female at birth.” Lawless claims that the policy violates California civil rights laws. Until the policy is changed, Lawless’ legal team is attempting to bar the LPGA from holding tournaments in California and attempting to secure unspecified damages from Long Drivers of America and two of its title sponsors.

Lana Lawless competed as a woman in long-drive championship

In 2008, Lana Lawless won the women’s division of the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship with a 335 yard strike. Now the event will not allow Lawless to defend her title, as the participation policy has fallen in line with LPGA standards. Moonbattery compares Lana Lawless’ suit to transgender tennis pro Renée Richards’ suit that made it to the New York Supreme Court in 1977. Moonbattery also makes the leap to suggesting that Lana Lawless has chosen the right liberal court, as Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker recently made a key ruling in favor of gay marriage.

From S.W.A.T. to swatting golf balls

Right Celebrity reports that when Lana Lawless was a man (known by a different name), he worked as a S.W.A.T. cop for 18 years and also worked as a bartender in a Southern California city. Lawless was also married, but fathered no children. “I had a very tough and mean exterior. People didn’t want to mess with me,” Lawless said. “But Lana was always in there. I had started to go to Los Angeles to the clubs, playing dress-up on the weekends. But I wanted to be a normal girl.”

A normal girl when it comes to competition

“I am a woman,” Lana Lawless insists. “I’ve lost muscle mass. I don’t have big guns (biceps). They give you a drug that stops you from producing testosterone. Your muscles atrophy. I feel like I don’t have any power.”

Perhaps another landmark legal ruling in favor of the transgendered will change that.

Sources

Associated Press

Moonbattery

Right Celebrity

Wikipedia entry for Renée Richards

Lana Lawless is a powerful ball striker