Disc golf tourney’s women’s division axed in fight over trans athlete

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A disc golf event in Prince Edward Island has been called off over a row about trans athletes.

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The Disc Golf Pro Tour got rid of its women’s division for the meet in Rose Valley, P.E.I., this September in Canada’s first professional disc-golf tournament. However, organizers cancelled the women’s division in P.E.I. and in several American states, according to the CBC.

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The move came on the heels of two lawsuits filed in the U.S. by Natalie Ryan, a transgender female disc golfer who is no longer eligible to play under new rules issued by the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA).

“Competitive fairness is the underpinning of the Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT), the professional disc golf industry, and all of elite, competitive sport worldwide,” tour CEO Jeff Spring said in a written statement to the CBC.

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“We will not waver on the PDGA Gender Eligibility Policy … This said, I also want to affirm the concept that you can simultaneously respect and support transgender people and support competitive fairness.

“These are not mutually exclusive concepts, and the DGPT will continue to show respect to all people involved while thinking creatively about long-term solutions for this challenging issue.”

The PDGA Gender Eligibility Policy came out in January. It limits entry in the women’s division to trans women who medically transitioned pre-puberty or are taking other steps that keep their testosterone levels below a certain level.

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