Woman walks off disc golf competition after male is allowed in female division: 'Now is the time to speak up'

A woman walked off the field of a disc golf tournament and demanded protection for women's sports in the face of having to compete against a man.

Video from an event called the Music City Open in Nashville, Tennessee, showed Abigail Wilson announced as the next athlete to throw her disc. However, after stepping onto the platform, Wilson faked an initial throw before revealing she was abandoning the competition in protest.

"Females must be protected in our division, this is unfair, I refuse to play," she is heard saying in the video.

Only a few onlookers applauded, with one person yelling "enjoy the couch," according to the man who filmed the video.

Wilson was upset over the inclusion of a player named Natalie Ryan, who is allegedly openly transgender — a man who believes he is female. Ryan has not made any public comment about the incident, per the Daily Mail.

Wilson, on the other hand, made lengthy remarks alongside her video, stating that "females deserve to have their gender-protected division be protected."

"This is unfair," Wilson continued. "I have worked so hard to get to this point to play on the [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."

The female, who later revealed that she is a tile mason by trade, also complained about the lack of security surrounding the women's event.

"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," Wilson prefaced. "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."

'We encourage players to do what they think is right.'

The pro tour responded in kind with its own lengthy statement about the protest and said no action would be taken.

"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."

After stating that "no rules or policies were violated," the league said it encouraged players to do what they think is right.

"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's refusal to compete came mere days after a female fencer refused a match against a male athlete.

Stephanie Turner of the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia forfeited her match against Redmond Sullivan, a male athlete who began competing against women in 2024-2025 after competing in the men's category from 2021-2023.

Turner stated that if male athletes can choose both the women's and men's divisions to compete in for sports, there is nowhere left for women to go.

"There's nothing for me, and there's everything for him. Because I have no choice as a woman, as a female, in where I compete."

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