Footage of a women’s disc golfer refusing to face a transgender opponent in Nashville has gone viral, in the same week after a fencer took a knee against a trans rival before walking out.
The remarkable footage shows Abigail Wilson stepping up to compete in her disc golf tournament in Tennessee against trans opponent Natalie Ryan, only for Wilson pretend to take her shot before turning to onlookers and shouting: ‘Females must be protected in our division. This is unfair. I refuse to play.’
She walked back and gathered her belongings before leaving her event, with fans applauding her move.
Wilson underlined her position later on Friday, sharing the footage in a lengthy caption that finished with her saying: ‘Today I most likely ended my career and that is okay because this is bigger than me.’
Explaining her overall position, Wilson wrote: ‘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.
Abigail Wilson refused to face a trans opponent at a disc golf event in Nashville, Tennessee
Wilson was protesting at having to play against openly trans athlete Natalie Ryan
‘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 continued: ‘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.’
Ryan has not yet responded publicly to the incident. The Disc Golf Pro Tour, meanwhile, released a lengthy statement of its own on Friday.
They said that Wilson would not be punished for her protest but stood firm against her claims about the safety of the event.
‘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,’ the organization said.
‘No rules or policies were violated. We encourage players to do what they think is right, and Ms. Wilson is welcome to compete on the same playing field as all other players.
Wilson says that she pays for her disc golf career by working as a tile mason by trade
‘The DGPT hopes to see Ms. Wilson back at another event in the near future.’
Wilson was resolute in her beliefs though on Saturday, posting another Instagram statement and saying: ‘If you want to help, please stand up for female athletes every chance you get. Share your voice with the PDGA and the DGPT. Thank you all.
The support from the community has been overwhelming and I apologize if I am unable to respond to everyone’s love and support at this time. I will do my best to get back to everyone and I appreciate and respect you all!’
She also explained: ‘I am a tile mason by trade. I work an extremely hard, laborious, and dirty job to even begin to afford to go on tour.
‘Every penny that has been put into my disc golf career has come out of my own pocket just so I can try to climb my way to the top through merit, determination, and perseverance. Believe it or not disc golf is not lucrative if you’re not in the top 10.’
Earlier in the week, USA fender Stephanie Turner was disqualified from her tournament after taking a knee and refusing to compete against a transgender opponent.
