Professional Disc Golf Tourney Ordered to Let Trans Athlete Play

A trans athlete won a temporary restraining order requiring the Professional Disc Golf Association and Disc Golf Pro Tour to let her play in an upcoming tournament.

Natalie Ryan, a trans woman, has been a member of the PDGA since 2019 and competes in the Female Professional Open division on the Disc Golf Pro Tour. In December 2022, the PDGA changed it’s policy on gender-based division to impose new requirements regarding testosterone levels and gender-affirming surgery on trans women seeking to participate in the FPO.

Ryan’s tournament card was revoked as a result of the policy and she was told she’d be barred from participating in future FPO professional events.

Ryan sued the tour and the PDGA in the US District Court for the Eastern District of California, saying the tournament discriminated against her on the basis of sex and gender identity, in violation of the California Unruh Civil Rights Act.

The court found Thursday that Ryan had established serious questions as to the merits of her claims. It issued a temporary restraining order blocking the defendants from enforcing the policy, including by barring Ryan from participating in the OTB Open set to take place May 12-14.

“It is undisputed that but for Plaintiff’s status as a transgender woman she would be able to compete,” Judge Troy L. Nunley wrote. Therefore “it appears there was an intentional act, the creation of a policy, that excludes individuals based on their protected status as transgender women.”

Ryan, who plays disc golf for a living, would “likely suffer continued emotional distress and psychological harm” from not being permitted to play in the tournament, the court said.

Ryan is represented by Brian Sciacca of Laguna Beach, Calif. PDGA is represented by Benbrook Law Group PC. The Disc Golf Pro Tour is represented by Kroger, Gardis & Regas LLP.

The case is Ryan v. Pro. Disc Golf Assoc., 2023 BL 160698, E.D. Cal., No. 2:23-cv-00324-TLN-JDP, 5/11/23.