I suspect this may make both sides mad, but this seems like the least genuine/intelligent decision that could have happened from the PDGA. Trans women, on whole, either have an advantage over cis women or they don't. This decision seems like a total punt on using science to determine that...and instead seems aimed primarily at viewing audiences of the DGPT and what they want to see in the FPO division.
Maybe others have some rationale I'm missing...but if the PDGA decided that trans women have an advantage over cis women...then why in the world is the decision "it's fine for trans women and cis women to participate in the same field...except for at 4 majors that we've specified"?
Maybe this is just a conspiracy theory...but it seems like the thing that makes sense is that the DGPT wanted to stop FPO players who were transgender, and worked with the PDGA to help specify the policy for majors only...so that the DGPT could adopt the same policy. Absent that, I simply don't understand a decision that says "they have an advantage, but it's fine if they compete in FPO for 99% of the tournaments, just not in these 4".
Ignoring what the actual decision is or could have been...the entire logic of "finding" an advantage exists...but then applying that finding to 1% of tournaments seems crazy to me.
I would at least understand logic that said "there's an advantage, so trans women cannot compete in gender protected divisions" or "there's no advantage, so trans women can compete in gender protected divisions". THIS just feels like a PR move related more to DGPT and their viewership than anything else.