A Message From the IFPA
The IFPA supports trans and nonbinary players in the competitive pinball community, and we want to make our stance on gender at women’s events very clear. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Nonbinary identities exist and are valid, and nonbinary players who wish to participate in women’s events should feel welcome to do so.
We expect IFPA-sanctioned tournaments and leagues to be free from homophobia, transphobia, and all other types of discrimination. This applies to both open events and women’s events. Tournament and league directors are encouraged to enact codes of conduct that reflect the PAPA/IFPA Complete Competition Rules related to player conduct (see Section III) and may do so at their discretion.
Please see our Gender Inclusion Policy for more information about eligibility in women’s events. Pinball is for everyone.
thanks for being inclusive IFPA!
Thank you
Thank you. Pinball players are pinball players.
thank you IFPA for speaking up about this!
Thank you IFPA! Succinct and correct. It’s important to do the right thing, especially when those in power are pushing hatred at all levels. I love our pinball community.
hell yeah
Love it, thanks for making a clear and public statement. Pinball is indeed for everyone.
This is wonderful and heartwarming. THANK YOU!
Thank you! Pinball is for everyone.
Thank you! Inclusion is the only way!
As part of the LGBT community I am happy about that clear statement, which cannot be taken for granted in the current situation. I agree with the previous speakers. Pinball is for everyone.
I am sad that we even have to say this but I am glad that we are saying it. Thank you IFPA!
Thank you for reaffirming your inclusion policy and not being bullied into changing.
Right on!
Thank you IFPA for this message! Two thumbs way up.
Thank you, well said!
Saddened by the fact that we need to affirm the right of people to exist, but very grateful to the IFPA for being very clear on this point.
But isn’t having Women’s only comps excluding half of the population. Not very inclusive! Imagine the uproar if we held Men’s only comps?
Dude, shut up!
So I’m not allowed an opinion? Nothing xyz-phobic in my comment.
He brings up a very valid point. What is the purpose of having a women only event? If there’s a good reason, let’s here it. If there isn’t a good reason, let’s consider why it exists then.
But telling him to shut up is not helpful. At best it seems tribal and not well thought out.
Yeah, “shut up” is never a helpful rebuttal. There’s a totally different vibe in women’s tournaments and as a cis male I’m pretty jealous. I’ve witnessed my share from the outside and wish male-dominated tournaments (which for systemic cultural reasons are usually the norm) weren’t as full of aggression and intensity. There are a lot of factors that contribute to how the vibes are different, but most are social/cultural and significant enough that if we want more women in pinball, we should support these efforts.
The reason there are Women’s Events is the same reason there are Women’s leagues in racing events.
Women, historically, are a minority group in some sporting events and allowing them the comfort of competing with other women often encourages them to compete in a sport where they otherwise might not have competed.
You’re not “excluding men who wanted to play”- you’re “including women who might not have played, otherwise.”
Exactly!
People always say this but nobody ever does it.
You can hold whatever kind of weird tournament you like. IFPA only sanctions open tournaments and women’s tournaments (which earn points in a separate category).
There’s one in every group, sadly
Well seeing how nasty a large chuck of cis male in the pinball community there is already plenty of unofficial male only tournaments
He brings up a very valid point. What is the purpose of having a women only event? If there’s a good reason, let’s here it. If there isn’t a good reason, let’s consider why it exists then.
But telling him to shut up is not helpful. At best it seems tribal and not well thought out.
Maybe so women don’t get shown where the start button is and stood too close to during play while some crowing dude tries to “educate” them by getting 20K on Fathom. Does that work for you?
Repost from above:
The reason there are Women’s Events is the same reason there are Women’s leagues in racing events.
Women, historically, are a minority group in some sporting events and allowing them the comfort of competing with other women often encourages them to compete in a sport where they otherwise might not have competed.
You’re not “excluding men who wanted to play”- you’re “including women who might not have played, otherwise.”
Has nothing to do with physical ability. Has everything to do with feeling welcome and accepted. Believe it or not, men are terrible in certain situations. These separate league were created by women to continue to play the game they love without the fear of being treated poorly by ignorant men.
I just want to leave a bunch of heart emojis but I don’t think that works here. So heart emojis. Thank you IFPA for making this clear and direct statement.
Thanks y’all!
In these dark times of ignorant, divise and hateful messages this one is a ray of light. Thank you!
❤️❤️❤️
Thank you, IFPA, for protecting my family of pinball players! I love our community.
This is great, thank you!
So happy to see this kind of leadership in a community that I love so much
Thank you! Keep pinball fun and welcoming,
Thank you.
Thank you IFPA!!
Men protecting other men ! No surprise that mentally ill men are more important than woman in pinball too. We women are to be quiet good little girls and let the boys control everything even who is a woman. No to to your sexist sh*t! I will not play in your
Insane tournaments for anyone who thinks they might be a woman.So glad I saw this before I played a tournament now I will not waste my time.
Bye Felecia.
None of us would want to play in a tournament with someone hateful like you anyway
There is no Kelly Green in the rankings. Looks like the MAGA trolls have caught wind of how AWESOME IFPA is.
The people in my league are family. Thanks, IFPA, for standing up for us all.
Yes cause you definitely stumbled upon this post by sheer chance as you decide to maybe play in a tournament. Laughable really.
Good. Bigots aren’t welcome anyway. BYE!!!
Lot of disrespect in the stl area about a certain player, some from tournament directors.
Stl like St. Louis or Seattle? Mind saying who instead of being vague? Your name isn’t included so might as well try to protect your fellow community members right?
Well said, and stance appreciated.
Thank you for putting this message out!
Rad, thanks for putting the statement out there!
Thank you
It’s awesome that IFPA wants pinball to be something for everyone and to make their stance clear. Pinball is a fun, great community to be a part of, and no player should feel unwelcome or threatened for any reason.
Flip on pinball lovers
Mostly because 90% of tournaments already are men only.
I’m not saying it’s you, but you have to see that many men in pinball are aggressive, exist, and not welcoming to trans or NB folk. Women identifying tournaments allow some ladies to dip their toe into tournaments in a less aggressive atmosphere. After they’ve done that a few times they may be emboldened to play in an open tournament.
So ultimately it’s to build pinball more. I’m glad IFPA recognizes the importance of this, given the current political landscape.
This makes me want to play pinball again. I think there’s even an arcade near me. Thank you for this. ❤️
Can’t put it in any more simpler terms than that! Thanks team! <3
Massive respect to the IFPA for this clear and perfectly worded message. Makes me proud to be a pinballer.
Thank you IFPA. We really needed to hear this from someone today.
Thank you for this message of light in these dark times!
Thanks, IFPA!
Thank you IFPA! Pinball is for everyone. <3
Thank you for being brave in these authoritarian times.
Well said. We should not tolerate the intolerant.
Great statement! Couldn’t be clearer and makes me proud to be a member.
Thank you to the IFPA Women’s Advisory Board for steering the organization in the right direction.
If a male who identifies as a trans women entered the women only competition and dominated, would you see this as a victory for the league?
I get the desire to appear inclusive but the whole point of a women only competition is that it’s not inclusive. How is this fair to female players? It seems to make a mockery of the category.
I agree .
If a trans woman joined a league I played in and dominated, I’d be happy that there is new competition, and would be excited to make a new friend.
Because, at the end of the day, trans women are women, and women belong in pinball.
I know you won’t agree, but just reaffirming what this policy says, and what the majority of what women players believe.
A sane comment. Thank you Max. The silent majority has spoken.
If womens’ pinball tournaments are for women only, why the hostility towards people who are only highlighting this fact?
If you aren’t a woman, then you shouldn’t compete in those tournaments. End of story. (And we all know that “gender” is just a construct without any tethering to biological facts. Would anyone think it was OK for a 30-year old to compete in the kids’ division? Probably not, but what if that person “identified” as a 12-year old? Does it change anything? No, of course not.)
Don’t call it womens’ tournaments if you are also advocating against the whole idea of a space that is exclusive for women. It just makes no sense to the folks with common sense. No matter how loudly some people protest, most people find this issue simply ridiculous. Why IFPA caters to a tiny minority of players with dubious motives is beyond most of us.
You’re not a silent majority, you’re a vocal minority boosted by a decade of moderation abandonment by social media platforms. Zuckerberg et al figured out they can get more activity on their websites by letting you spew hate all over them.
When I was a young adult, you would be just be removed from a web forum and told to find a different website to be hateful on. Nobody civil wants your company. You are a small group of people who are treated with kid gloves to boost engagement metrics on social media, and your hate is unwelcome at any IFPA sanctioned event.
I agree.
LOL this is definitely written by someone who has never been involved in women’s pinball.
This is anti science from the same people that put “we believe in science” signs in their front yards. People cannot be born into the wrong bodies. This is an 80/20 issue for the public, and you’re on the wrong side of the 80/20 issue. I won’t go along with lies and thankfully more people are waking up to the emotional manipulation.
Go away weirdo. Gender exists.
Yes female and male is assigned at birth.There are two genders for sane people who believe in science not feelings.
I agree.
Ive never seen anyone who wasnt included, or felt unwelcome at a IFPA event. And I agree pinball is for everyone. But Politics and Pinball dont mix. No matter what your beliefs are, we probly can all agree we are sick of politics in every part of are daily lives, sadly IFPA brought it here as well.
Thanks IFPA. This is leadership.
Cis and trans women and nonbinary people are all under attack right now. They love to divide us. This statement really helps these marginalized people to know that there is a safe place for them in pinball, and that there are tournaments where they won’t face comments like some here. If you don’t understand, please listen more.
Trolls can’t stop this amazing community.
<3