Poker Community Stands United Against Online Hate

Aubrey Williams, a transgender woman, was a finalist in the 2026 WSOP Ladies Championship, losing to Skye Chen. Williams won a career-high payday of $129,692. The poker community showed support for Williams, with a loud group of friends and well-wishers on the rail and rhythmic cheering from the crowd. However, the internet was a far less inclusive place, with a stream of incendiary comments on the official WSOP live stream.

Joe Stapleton, a broadcaster, pointed out that hundreds of anonymous users had to be banned from the live stream chatbox due to hateful comments. Stapleton received a ton of hate online for his positive sentiments towards Williams. The deluge of negative comments are sadly par for the course for social media, with reactions to any piece of content or social media post involving a transgender subject often flooded with hate.

The targeting of transgender individuals in sports and other areas has become a divisive issue. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of upholding statewide bans against transgender girls and women from competing on school sports teams. The WSOP Ladies Championship has roots dating all the way back to 1977 and has served as a lightning rod for controversy at several points over the last 20 years. Shaun Deeb, now a nine-time WSOP bracelet winner, donned women’s clothing and entered the 2010 WSOP Ladies Championship. Jonathan Epstein entered the 2011 WSOP Ladies Championship and finished in ninth place. Marsha Wolak ultimately won the 2011 WSOP Ladies Championship. Abraham Korotki's 2009 victory in a women's event at Borgata stands out, and as recently as 2023, David Hughes won a ladies event during the WPT Hard Rock Poker Showdown series in Florida.