After school sports, the Olympics, and British women's soccer banned trans women, esports is coming for them next.
After learning that trans women are banned from competing in an upcoming tournament for the video game Dead by Daylight, many female professional gamers have announced they will drop out of the event scheduled to take place in 2026.
Streamer and artist Julia Canda was the first to draw attention to the story. She posted on X on December 3 that she is withdrawing from Team USA in the tournament, officially known as the Dead by Daylight Women's World Cup.
"I love the idea of a fem tourney but one run by a male Kick streamer who has a history of using AI graphics doesn't sit right at all & if a percentage of women aren't allowed to participate (these being mostly trans women), I certainly won't be either," she writes.
"None of the women participating were aware of any of this when signing up (including myself), so please do not fault any of the players," she continues. "If the tourney changes the rule regarding trans women, great. I'm hoping that bringing some attention to this can change that faster. I will still be leaving but good luck to everyone involved."
Canda also shared alleged screenshots from a Discord conversation with tournament organizer Fishcadito. In the conversation, Canda asks whether trans women are allowed to participate, whether AI will be used, and whether any women will be staffing the event.
"For the World Cup, we've decided not to allow transgender women to participate, but we hope to include them in future tournaments," Fishcadito responded.
Soon, others joined Canda in the boycott.
Twitch streamer Jiggledeath, who recently announced that she was going to be captain for the U.K.'s team in the DBD Women's World Cup, announced she will withdraw from the event on December 4.
"Unfortunately, I've been made aware that Trans Women are not allowed to participate, so I am withdrawing myself from this tournament," she wrote on X. "I stick by my community, and I don't want to take part in something which excludes some incredible women."
That same day, Squish, the captain for Team Canada in the tournament, announced that her team will be withdrawing from the competition as well.
"Trans women are women and we as a team do not stand with excluding trans women," Squish stated.
Team USA's captain also announced that her team will withdraw because "I do believe trans women aer women."
"Even if the host did not have bad intentions. The message itself is not good for women as we should be uplifting each other," she wrote. "Always stand w/Women."
Now, an X profile under the name @FishcaditoTv has issued an apology.
The statement says that organizers "deeply appreciate the community for expressing their concerns" and says they "value every message received, regardless of its position."
"We recognize, respect, and value the diversity of identities within the Dead by Daylight community and within gaming as a whole," the statement continues. "Trans women are an important part of the scene and have participated in our previous tournaments, where they have always been welcomed and respected. Their presence and contributions have never been questioned, nor has there ever been any discriminatory stance against them."
The statement says the decision to ban trans women "was based solely on technical and operational limitations."
"In a global online tournament, we do not have reliable tools to ensure transparency and verification for every participant. For this reason, we had to make decisions under uncertainty, relying instead on the trust we place in team leaders and their players," it says. "... This situation does not reflect a lack of willingness to be inclusive, but rather the absence of adequate mechanisms to manage verification in a fair, safe, and respectful manner for all participants."
In the statement, the organizers also apologize "if this situation has caused discomfort for any player" and say that their "commitment is to continue working, engaging in dialogue with the community, and exploring solutions that may allow future editions to become more inclusive, expansive, and equitable - without compromising safety or competitive integrity."
