Terrorist threat stops Nashville disc golf tournament with transgender player

The 2024 Music City Open, a notable event in the Disc Golf Pro Tour, faced a significant disruption when the competition was temporarily suspended due to a terroristic threat on Saturday. The threat, which targeted transgender athlete Natalie Ryan, highlights the ongoing tension and hostility within the sports community regarding transgender participation.

According to the Disc Golf Pro Tour, the event was paused after receiving a threat of violence, specifically against Ryan, highlighting the security challenges faced by transgender athletes. “A call came into the event site stating there would be a threat of potential violence against a competitor at this weekend’s tournament,” noted the DGPT, prompting immediate action to ensure the safety of all participants and spectators.

Jeff Spring, the CEO and tour director of the DGPT, condemned the threats in a statement.

“Threats of violence at DGPT events are utterly unacceptable and are treated with the utmost seriousness by our entire staff,” Spring said. He emphasized the deployment of additional security resources to safeguard all individuals present.

Natalie Ryan addressed the threat on her Instagram, expressing gratitude towards those who ensured the event could continue safely. She highlighted the broader implications of such threats.

“Today someone called in a threat of violence against myself and potentially the other players, staff, and spectators…This threat is a perfect example of what happens when extreme views are tolerated in a community,” Ryan wrote.

She continued, “Tolerating and including folks with extreme views, like today’s caller, breed these threats. Continuing to use language that makes these people feel comfortable and valid will only make our situation worse. When I ask people to ‘speak up,’ these threats are why it is so important. I hope we can all come together after this and actually try to make sure ALL players, staff, and spectators are safe while we enjoy our sport.”

The Professional Disc Golf Association rules for 2024 dictate that transgender players who were assigned male at birth are eligible to compete in gender-based divisions under specific conditions. These include undergoing continuous hormone therapy for at least 24 months and maintaining a certain testosterone level verified through multiple blood tests. Alternatively, eligibility can also be achieved through gender-affirming surgery, with the same requirements for testosterone levels post-surgery.

Additionally, the PDGA specifies that transgender men who begin hormone treatments to increase testosterone levels are no longer eligible to compete in gender-based divisions.

An LGBTQ+ advocacy group within disc golf, Throw Proud, responded to the incident via Instagram.

“The Music City Open was temporarily suspended today, because of a terroristic threat made by someone who was angry that Natalie Ryan is playing. To say there are differing opinions on the subject of trans inclusion in the protected divisions is severely understating the issue. This year, those who have hateful views towards the transgender community have threatened violence on the disc golf course, and in one such case, have even acted upon it.”

Throw Proud emphasized the importance of speaking out against hate, which they argue is the only way to combat the growing divisiveness over transgender inclusion in sports. “Hate grows in silence. The only way things are going to get better is if people speak out against hate. People need to make it clear hate has no place, with positive messages rather than fighting,” the group added.

Outsports reported that the tournament resumed with heightened security, with Ryan finishing 15th.