“I most likely ended my career and that is okay because this is bigger than me,” Abigail Wilson said Friday after walking out of a tournament rather than compete against a biological male who fancies himself to be a woman.
Wilson was slated to compete against transgender opponent Natalie Ryan at the Music City Open in Nashville, Tennessee. But, after stepping up to the tee when she was announced, Wilson turned around and walked off in protest.
Later that day, Wilson took to Instagram to explain why she walked off – and how she has no regrets about any professional consequences she may suffer:
“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.”
“Natalie Ryan is a man,” Jennifer Sey, Founder and CEO of XX-XY, commented on social media, posting video of Ryan physically dominating a biological female disc golf competitor.
Natalie Ryan is a man. https://t.co/1DmZw76l7q
— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) April 6, 2025
“But does it really make a difference? Yes, it does. Even in disc golf,” the post says.
In her Instagram post, Wilson also reported that she was concerned for her safety at the event:
“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.”
“Today I most likely ended my career and that is okay because this is bigger than me,” Wilson concluded.
In a statement regarding Wilson’s protest, the Disc Golf Pro Tour says Ryan was allowed to compete because it had previously changed its qualification rules, rather than fight a lawsuit.