Mick Hartley

In contrast to chess, the sport of disc golf has very clear advantages for males. But that's not going to stop men competing and winning in the women's events:

The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) has been forced to drop their new regulations on men who want to participate in women’s competitions after being sued by a trans-identified male player. The lawsuit was launched earlier this year by Natalie Ryan, who had been dominating women’s competitions prior to the PDGA attempting to rein in male competitors.

Ryan first filed a suit against the PDGA in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California this past February. In his complaint, he argued that a recently-adopted PDGA policy prohibiting trans-identified males from competing with women if they had undergone a “male puberty” violated his civil rights and California laws against discrimination.

“The policy adopted by the PDGA and [Disc Golf Pro Tour] is arbitrary and capricious and in violation of Plaintiff’s right to be free from discrimination based on her gender,” the suit said, arguing that policies restricting widespread male participation in women’s sport “denied [Ryan] and other transgender women, who in the eyes of California law are women, full and equal access to the accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, and/or services of [PDGA] organizations.”

Well, he's got a point. If transgender women are women according to the laws of California, then his suit against the PDGA would seem to have a pretty good chance. Not that it ever came to court: the PDGA doesn't have the money to fight the case.

Yesterday, a settlement between Ryan and PDGA was announced. While the full terms are not available for public consumption, part of the agreement included PDGA dropping the policy which banned males from competing with women unless they had begun transitioning prior to puberty. This change means that all males who had undergone at least two years of hormone therapy are able to compete with women once again.

In a statement, PDGA revealed that a lack of funds was part of the reason why they were unable to fight against Ryan’s litigation onslaught, with Ryan having filed suits against them in two separate states.

And yes, he's getting the prize money that should be going to women.

In September of 2022 at the Disc Golf Pro Tour, Ryan easily defeated the world’s number 1 ranked female competitor, Kristin Tattar, taking home $9,000 in prize money. Months prior, at the Great Lakes Open in Milford, Michigan, Ryan walked away with $6,000 for a first-place performance, beating out the world’s current number 2 ranked female player….

Last year, two anonymous female disc golf players spoke with Quillette‘s Jon Kay and stated that Ryan’s biological sex was undoubtedly bolstering his success in the sport.

“I would say that one of the biggest advantages of the [male-bodied] players is their ability to scramble in tight situations when a disc goes off the fairway, to just stand there and blast a shot through the woods,” one of the women said. “I’ve seen both [trans player] Chloe [Alice] and Natalie [Ryan] do this. They’re just standing still and throw the kind of [forehand shot] that I’ve never seen a female throw even under perfect conditions.”

The other female player added: “What makes it worse is that Ryan’s form isn’t even that good. If it were, [he’d] be out-throwing us by even more. So while the rest of us spend years refining our form, trying to keep up and get more distance, [he’s] been in the sport only—what?—three years or something.”

Another female disc golf player, Jennifer Castro, revealed that she was aware of female athletes refusing to join tournaments where transgender players were enrolled due to the stark performance advantage.

“I personally know of women who refuse to sign up for events if a transgender is playing, not because we hate them but because we feel we have zero chance, so what is the point of wasting our money on registration fees?”

"Natalie" is of course overjoyed:

I'm excited to announce that the PDGA, DGPT, and I have reached an agreement. All trans women will be equals at the elite level again. This is my victory. I had to be ruthless to get them to listen. I'm glad I can put that side of myself away. Now, I am hopeful that our sport can start fresh and grow to be a place that truly welcomes and celebrates everyone.

I cannot express how thankful I am to all my supporters and sponsors for sticking with me this year. I wouldn't have made it to the finish line alone, this is your victory too!

The entitlement of these men, and their total disregard for women, never fails to amaze.