A women’s disc golfer has walked off the course in protest at being forced to play a transgender opponent.
In the latest such move by a female sportsperson, Abigail Wilson pretended to take her opening shot in a match against Natalie Ryan before turning around and shouting: “Females must be protected in our division. This is unfair. I refuse to play.”
Wilson then walked off the tee and gathered her belongings before leaving her event, triggering applause by watching fans.
Her protest, at the Music City Open in Tennessee, USA, on Friday, came days after a female fencer was disqualified from a tournament in America for refusing to compete against a trans opponent and taking a knee in protest.
That was almost a year-and-a-half after a women’s pool tournament witnessed a similar walkout and on Sunday there were further protests as two transgender players competed in a professional women’s pool final.
Wilson posted footage of her own stand on Instagram, writing: “Today I most likely ended my career and that is OK because this is bigger than me.”
Explaining her decision, she 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 [Disc Golf Pro Tour], 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.”
Credit: Instagram/@abiygritte
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.”
Disc golf, sometimes referred to as frisbee golf, is a sport in which players throw a disc at a target, using rules similar to golf.
Responding to the incident, the Disc Golf Pro Tour said Wilson would not be punished for her protest but disputed her safety claims.
“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 organisation 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.
“The DGPT hopes to see Ms Wilson back at another event in the near future.”
Wilson then posted on Saturday: “If you want to help, please stand up for female athletes every chance you get. Share your voice with the PDGA [Professional Disc Golf Association] and the DGPT. Thank you all.
“The support from the community has been overwhelming and I apologise 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 wrote: “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.”
