"I want to emphasize that I have nothing personal against Noa" - Aileen de Graaf denies transphobia allegations and sympathizes with Noa-Lynn van Leuven after media storm

Aileen de Graaf has been a topic of conversation in the sports world for days after she and Anca Zijlstra decided to no longer make themselves available for the Dutch women's team.

The reason for this decision is because Noa-Lynn van Leuven, a transwoman, is also on the Dutch team. Both ladies no longer want to team with Van Leuven with the players announcing this decision on Saturday via Facebook, after having informed the Dutch Darts Association (NDB) a day earlier.

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De Graaf has since given an explanation of why she came to her decision through an extensive statement on her Facebook. First of all, the Dutchwoman said she was shocked by the strong reactions towards Van Leuven. ''Especially how people are talking about Noa now, you don't wish that on anyone'', she wrote.

The former Lakeside finalist then noted that she has been struggling with this problem for some time. ''Since the first time a transgender competed in a Dutch ranking.'' De Graaf has made this known in several ways, both in her own environment and towards the association. Van Leuven was also informed about this by De Graaf.

''Even though Noa and I both have different points of view, we respected this from each other,'' De Graaf continued. "Noa actually liked that I was honest with her about this and didn't do this behind her back. Last World Cup I got to play for the Dutch team together with Noa and we enjoyed doing this. If I had anything against Noa, I wouldn't have decorated her room as a surprise because it was her birthday. Despite our opinions, we always act normal to each other."

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De Graaf was increasingly confronted by outsiders about her views. She was then asked why she was on one team with a transgender person anyway. "I was looked at for going along with the rule and not making an issue of it. This always gnawed at me because it goes against my feelings. Hence, I made the decision to quit the team anyway and make my reason known."

Finally, De Graaf acknowledges that Van Leuven is allowed by international rules to compete in the women's tournament. ''She is not doing anything wrong,'' she affirms. ''But I am allowed to express my opinion that I do not agree with this rule. For the people who now call me a transphobe, I also want to emphasize that I have nothing personal against Noa or transgender people, everyone is allowed to be who they want to be,'' De Graaf said.

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