Finding Trans Joy Through Sports

More than 100 anti-trans bills have been levied in states across the country this year. These bills range from blocking trans youth from seeking healthcare to banning trans students from participating in school sports. In Texas, lawmakers are getting ready to move forward House Bill 25, the law that will change the landscape of sports for trans people in the state. For Schuyler Bailar, former division one NCAA swimmer, these threats and discrimination are familiar. As the first openly transgender man to compete at his level in college athletics, he’s had to break boundaries both within institutions and within public opinion to be allowed to compete and be seen as a competitor.

Those trying to ban trans students from school sports often center the debate on trans women with claims rooted in transphobia — and refuted by scientific experts — that trans women have an unfair advantage. One of the additional consequences of the focus on this argument is that we hear less from athletes who are trans men. This gap in perspective is one of many reasons we are excited to have Schuyler with us.