Disc golfer refuses to compete against transgender opponent as video shows furious exit from competition

A female disc golfer has gone viral after being filmed refusing to compete against a transgender contestant.

On Friday (4 April), disc golfer Abigail Wilson was filmed refusing to play a match at Nashville's Music City Open in the US due to the inclusion of trans athlete Natalie Ryan in the competition.

In the clip, Wilson can be seen stepping up to take her turn and pretending to throw her disc, before complaining about the gender eligibility rules in the sport.

"Females must be protected in our division. This is unfair. I refuse to play," she shouts to the crowd before gathering her things and leaving the event.

According to guidelines from the Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) gender eligibility criteria, trans women are allowed to compete in gender-based division if they have been 'taking continuous hormone therapy under medical supervision for a period of at least 24 months'.

Trans athletes who were assigned male at birth are also required to maintain a testosterone level below 2.0 nmol/L in order to compete. The average testosterone level for an adult cisgender male is 8.7 to 29 nmol/L, while cisgender women have between 0.29–1.67 nmol/L.

Mixed gender competitions are also common within disc golf either, with events holding both mixed and gender-based divisions.

Wilson would later double down on her stance in a post on Instagram, writing: " I have worked so hard to get to this point to play on the DGPT, but the sacrifice of my career and my hard work is worth it if it means I can make a difference for other women, daughters, nieces, and the future of our sport.

"Today I most likely ended my career and that is okay because this is bigger than me."

She then went on to cite security concerns as another factor in her decision not to play due to 'planned protests for this year and the threats of violence at the event last year'.

"DGPT staff yesterday they made it clear they would be unwilling to change me to an earlier tee time when regarding my fears of safety on the course," she added.

Ryan has not commented publicly on the incident.

Following Wilson's post, DGPT has since clarified it's eligibility policy and security measures with the following statement: "The DGPT supports the right of all competitors to protest and have their voices heard, and no disciplinary action, official or otherwise, is being taken for yesterday’s protest. No rules or policies were violated.

"Ahead of this protest, the Tour was asked to move Ms. Wilson to a different tee time because she did not want to compete with another player on her assigned card. One policy that applies to everyone is that the Tour does not accommodate change requests once tee times are published."

Disputing Wilson's allegations about security concerns, the statement added: "Before the event, the DGPT also responded to Ms. Wilson to address concerns she may have had about security at the event and informed her of the security plan.

"In addition to private security personnel (off-duty police officers) providing security that morning, a number of additional security staff were assigned to Ms. Wilson’s tee time. This information was shared with Ms. Wilson before the event, and the Tour received no security concerns from her on Friday morning upon her arrival and during interactions with the DGPT’s Director of Safety and Security, Seth Munsey."

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]