Outside of the disc golf scene, I’m in a pretty left-leaning area, but the thought of going out to play a round alone in girl mode scares the shit out of me. Ironically, playing disc golf alone was one of the things that helped me sort out my thoughts and accept my gender id, but even in boy mode I just get this overwhelming anxiety now. Particularly when locals/other golfers approach me on the course— the culture reminds me a lot of skate culture, but with older people and more bro-y misogynist talk (constantly talking about how much they love pussy and want to fuck).
I don’t even give a shit about tournaments (fuck the PGDA though) I just want to throw discs. I don’t really know if my fear is justified, but the tenor of the conversation around trans athletes online makes me feel super unsafe.
do you have any friends you can go with? having someone familiar with you might make the experience more relaxing, and would likely help you get used to the environment. after that, it’d probably be easier to go on your own.
things to note here, i am not particularly experienced in this area-- this just worked for me and another friend when we were scared to go to the gym
Lately I’ve been playing with a friend— that definitely helps! I guess I just miss the freedom of playing spontaneously or really zoning out during a round. I was thinking about carrying pepper spray or something but I’m worried about escalating.
damn, i really hope you find a solution that works for you. going from being worried to being able to zone out is not an easy task
Any of the comments that I have seen about trans athletes has not been that they shouldn’t play, the controversy is about whether they should be allowed to play in a professional women’s league or not. In my experience the disc golf community is very liberal and welcoming. As others have said maybe go with some friends to get a feel for it and don’t let the online rhetoric keep you from doing something you enjoy.
Any of the comments that I have seen about trans athletes has not been that they shouldn’t play, the controversy is about whether they should be allowed to play in a professional women’s league or not.
This is just patently false.
How do you know what I’ve seen or haven’t seen? I’m sure if I looked for it I could find trans hate speech but that’s probably the same in most communities, there are trolls and bigots everywhere.
All of my exposure came from Reddit or here and any of the discussions that I saw, while frustratingly polarised, where about the rules in place, the fairness of said rules and the general fairness of trans women playing in a female league. I didn’t sort the comments and I didn’t doom scroll. Quite frankly the whole drama frustrates me and I don’t subscribe to disc golf communities for pro news/drama.
Disc Golf as I know it is super casual and is more of a hobby as apposed to a sport. If someone is giving you gruff about your hobbies just because you’re trans, then that’s a them problem unless it’s a competition. I may not understand trans culture super well, but I just try to interact with trans men/women the same I would anyone else.
Tldr; go chuck some frisbees into your local park’s trees and weeds. No one should have an issue with it.
Again, I would love to do that, but disc golf courses feel genuinely unsafe. Sure it’s “their problem” but I do not give a fuck if it’s their problem or mine if I’m dead or beaten.
I think you should maybe check local Facebook groups or something to test the waters then. I’d say that you’re being a little irrationally concerned about your safety in regards to just throwing some discs in the park, but I have no idea what your local population is like either.
Every disc golfer I’ve ever met is pretty accepting. For the most part they’re just guys and gals hanging out at the park to throw discs while they’re high on an edible or something similar.
