AmWorlds2019

A year ago, I played at the PDGA 2019 Amateur Disc Golf World Championships.

The one moment, I was a proud and happy world champions, the next, I was “the guy who’d won a women’s world title”, and “the guy who couldn’t cut the mustard in his own division, so he took it out on the weaker women”.

Yes, I am out & proud transgender, and am the first openly transgender woman to win a world title in disc golf. I’m also a lesbian woman.

I also comply with all of the strictest rules on gender reclassification. (google that)

Too many people still think that being a transgender woman is no more or less than a freaky man in a dress who wants to abuse women and little girls.

I suffered for 30+ years, trying to make it work in the body and role that was bestowed upon me, but I always knew that the male body I lived in, was not, could not, and should not be mine. I was and am a woman..

I knew in advance, that regardless of how I’d do at AmWorlds, I’d want to use the momentum to advocate for awareness, visibility, and hopefully acceptance for LGBTQ+ people in sports in general, and disc golf in particular.

Be a lightning rod, so that others would not need to face all the wrath and ignorance that’s out there.

Now that I had actually won, I knew the flood gates would open. I did not come there to win [sic: 2024 addition: ; I had qualified to compete, and all I wanted to do was celebrate finally being able to being permitted to compete in the division I always belonged. Being the highest-rated competitor going in, by 9 point on a scale that roughly runs from 0 to 1000, and the other competitors being among a range about 100 points across, I was sort of hoping I’d make it to the semi finals, but I did not think for a second I would have an easy fight there, let along simply come in and walk off with the trophy.]

In coming to the rescue of “their women”, by attacking me, these people so valiantly defended “their women” (who must obviously not be emancipated, strong, and able enough to speak for themselves). But in doing so, they hurt female athletes more than I could ever do.

Four months, and 1000’s of messages, reactions, and shares later, the storm died down a bit.
I do hope the world learnt a bit more about what being transgender is, and what being a transgender athlete is.

So many allies, and even several transgender people reached out to me, and every single of these people brightened the world a bit more.

Nevertheless, with the vast majority of all the messages being hateful in nature, gave me anxiety on the fairway.

If that’s the price to pay for progress, I’ll wear with pride.