There’s been a lot of controversy recently with transgenders in women’s sports. What one time was considered to be a triumph of inclusivity is now turning in the other direction.

We have recently seen where female athletes more and more often are standing up for themselves and their sport by refusing to compete against a transgender competitor. This includes something that happened on Friday, April 4.

Abigail Wilson was set to compete during the Disc Golf Pro Tour’s Music City Open in Nashville, Tennessee. Rather than competing against a trans athlete, Natalie Ryan, she decided to walk off and forfeit the competition.

If this sounds like it has happened recently, it has. Stephanie Turner, a 31-year-old fencing athlete refused to compete against a transgender athlete. She was severely sanctioned for doing so and given a black card for not competing against an ‘eligible athlete’.

As far as Natalie Ryan is concerned, there are some reports that she was in the middle of the debate after knocking out the top-ranked female disc golfer in a tournament in 2022.

The video posted to Instagram by Abigail Wilson shows her walking onto the course as she is called by the announcer. She starts to throw the disk but keeps it in her hand and then turns to the crowd. She shouts: “Females must be protected in our division. This is unfair. I refuse to play.”

Along with the clip was an explanation that detailed why she refused to participate. 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, 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,

“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’s.

“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.

“Today I most likely ended my career, and that’s okay because this is bigger than me.”

Later, Wilson said that she was threatened with a penalty.

She said: “They did a terrible job of keeping us safe during the event when this threat was called in. I said, ‘Well, it is a very unpleasant thing that all of us women have to play with him.’

“After I said the word ‘him,’ this Disc Golf staff member told me that if I misgender him again, I will be penalized and removed from the tour, and he’s going to pretend he didn’t hear me say that.”

Wilson went on to explain why she decided to leave. “I couldn’t keep putting my head down. I like to say that I throw plastic at metal chains for a living, and it’s not worth any of this. We shouldn’t have to deal with this as women, as professionals.”

Jeff Spring, the Disc Golf Pro Tour CEO said that Wilson would not be penalized because there was not a violation.

He said: “There is no consequence for Abigail’s protest today, as she violated no rules or policies.

“We encourage all players to do what they think is right. Abigail is welcome to compete on the same playing field as all other players, and we wish her the best in her young career.”