About 2 months ago, my son asked me to join him and a friend for a round of "disc golf", which I assumed to be the same thing we did with Wham-O's and neighborhood trees/signposts back in the 70's.
You've come a long way, babies. Well done.
Since then, I'm 2-3 rounds a week, learning new discs and shot shapes, trying to figure out what combination will be the least likely to tear my aging shoulders to shreds. I've bought a putting cage, and put in my reps every day. I "discovered" the FPO, and watched tournament after tournament while doing my physical therapy. Disc golf was a bright point for me in an otherwise grim year. Until...
During the OTB the "Two Hot Geese (honk)" made a cryptic announcement that Natalie Ryan was no longer on the leader board, and that nothing further would be said about it. I had no idea who she was, and I was curious. A bit of Googling filled in the blanks, leading me here and to various news links, and just like that, the sun dipped behind the clouds again.
I was drawn immediately to the camaraderie of the FPO, the way the athletes would routinely cheer on and congratulate their competitors. It was hard to learn that the supportive atmosphere had a sharp outer limit.
I too am a trans woman. In my late 50's, with one shoulder reconstructed and the other ailing, I will never compete in a tournament. I just wanted to play a game that made me feel young again. If the FPO, DGPT (I don't know how they fit together yet) believes that their actions affect only one person, they are wrong. Discrimination against any of us hurts all of us. Once again I feel diminished, unwelcome, less than. And, seeing them reconstruct their season in the mold of the Missouri Compromise shakes my faith in the rising generations to do better, go farther than we did.
You've come a long way, babies. Well done.
Since then, I'm 2-3 rounds a week, learning new discs and shot shapes, trying to figure out what combination will be the least likely to tear my aging shoulders to shreds. I've bought a putting cage, and put in my reps every day. I "discovered" the FPO, and watched tournament after tournament while doing my physical therapy. Disc golf was a bright point for me in an otherwise grim year. Until...
During the OTB the "Two Hot Geese (honk)" made a cryptic announcement that Natalie Ryan was no longer on the leader board, and that nothing further would be said about it. I had no idea who she was, and I was curious. A bit of Googling filled in the blanks, leading me here and to various news links, and just like that, the sun dipped behind the clouds again.
I was drawn immediately to the camaraderie of the FPO, the way the athletes would routinely cheer on and congratulate their competitors. It was hard to learn that the supportive atmosphere had a sharp outer limit.
I too am a trans woman. In my late 50's, with one shoulder reconstructed and the other ailing, I will never compete in a tournament. I just wanted to play a game that made me feel young again. If the FPO, DGPT (I don't know how they fit together yet) believes that their actions affect only one person, they are wrong. Discrimination against any of us hurts all of us. Once again I feel diminished, unwelcome, less than. And, seeing them reconstruct their season in the mold of the Missouri Compromise shakes my faith in the rising generations to do better, go farther than we did.
