English pool player Lynne Pinches has forfeited a championship game to a man identifying as a woman in an act of boycotting the match.

At the recent Women’s Champion of Champions Final in Wales, Pinches was set to play Chris “Harriet” Haynes, a trans-identifying biological male.

In a viral video that has amassed over 6 million views, Pinches can be seen walking away from the table before the first break, refusing to compete against Haynes.  

The video shows both players going to the table and lagging – taking shots that determine who will take the first shot of the game. After Pinches wins the lag shot, she leans over to the referee, whispering in his ear. Immediately, she walks back to her seat on the sidelines and starts to pack up, showing the audience she forfeited the game.

Cheers and applause can be heard from the audience, some shouting words of support such as “Yes, Lynne,” and “Come on, Lynne.”  

Ultimately, Pinches was listed as runner-up, and Haynes walked away with the championship title.

Pinches says it’s unfair play to have to compete against a trans woman

Haynes has won multiple women’s championship titles in recent years. Lynne Pinches’ brother, Barry Pinches, wrote on Facebook, “Full credit and great respect to my sister Lynne Pinches yesterday for taking a stand and not playing in the biggest match of her pool playing life because she feels it’s so unfair to have to compete against a trans woman.”

One X account that dedicates itself to fairness in sports praised Pinches for her willingness to give up the match, saying, “Fairness matters in sport. Well done Lynne.”

Some other sports governing bodies have taken measures to stop biological males from competing against women, as is the case of the International Swimming Federation which banned most trans-identifying men from women’s swimming events.