Women's disc golfer refuses to face transgender competitor days after fencer kneels in protest
A video of women's disc golfer Abigail Wilson refusing to face a transgender opponent went viral on Friday, prompting praise from women's sports rights activists.
The incident came just days after Fox News Digital reported that women's fencer Stephanie Turner had refused to face a transgender opponent at a competition in Maryland, prompting global awareness and criticism against USA Fencing.
Wilson's refusal to face the trans athlete came on Friday in Nashville, Tennessee, at the MVP Music City Open, which is an event that is officially sanctioned by the Disc Golf Pro Tour and the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA). When her name was called to step up to compete, she walked up to the tee box, wound up her toss, and flung her arm forward, but didn't let go of the disc. Then she turned around to explain why.
"Females must be protected in our division!" Wilson yelled to the crowd. "This is unfair. I refuse to play!"
Wilson then took her belongings and walked away.
Later on Friday, she shared the footage of her protest in an Instagram video.
"Today I refused to play at the Music City Open. Females deserve to have their gender protected division be protected. This is unfair. 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. If you feel how wrong it is to have biological males be competing in female protected divisions in sports, now is the time to speak up and stand your ground," she wrote in the caption.
"I took this stand today because I was having anxiety about playing with the openly trans player on tour because of the planned protests for this year and the threats of violence at the event last year. After speaking with a member of the 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.
"They assured me that there would be bag checks, police, and security at the event. Upon arriving this morning there was no security or police presence, I was also allowed entry even though I did not have my credentials. There were zero security precautions."
Wilson added that she believes the decision will end her disc golfing career.
"Today I most likely ended my career and that is okay because this is bigger than me."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the CEO and Tour Director of the Disc Golf Pro Tour Jeff Spring for comment.
The Professional Disc Golf Association rules state that transgender players who were assigned male at birth are eligible to compete in the women's category after undergoing continuous hormone therapy for at least 24 months and maintaining a certain testosterone level, verified through multiple blood tests. Eligibility can also be achieved through gender-affirming surgery, with the same requirements for testosterone levels post-surgery.
The trans competitor who prompted Wilson's protest, Natalie Ryan, first garnered attention in September 2022 after winning the women's division at the Discraft Great Lakes Open, and achieving a rank as one of the world's top five female-classified disc golfers.
Ryan identifies as openly transgender, according to the athlete's Instagram page.
The Music City Open marked Ryan's return to the sport after recovering from "very invasive surgery," the athlete revealed in a post on Thursday.
At the 2024 Music City Open, the event had to be paused after a terroristic threat, which was targeted at Ryan, the organization released in a statement.
"A call came into the event site stating there would be a threat of potential violence against a competitor at this weekend's tournament," a tour statement read.
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