Feb 5, 2021
"Yeah,
sport is a vehicle for social change outside of the quarter of the
field. We've seen sports lead social movements, and I think sport
is one of those things that everybody can relate to. It's one of
those things that bind us together, regardless of our other
differences.”
–Chris
Mosier
Who is Chris Mosier?
This week’s conversation is with Chris Mosier, the first
transgender athlete to compete for Team USA, first transgender man
to represent the United States in international competition, first
transgender athlete to qualify for the Olympic Trials in any sport
in a category different than their sex assigned at birth, and Chris
is the person credited for the International Olympic Committee’s
policy change for transgender athletes.
You don't know what you don't know.
Chris says a lot of us have a fear of doing wrong because someone
might get hurt by what we say, but it shouldn't prevent us from
trying to do our best to step in and be an ally. There’s an idea of
intent vs impact where our intent might be good, but the impact
might still be hurtful. However, it’s just important for us to
acknowledge the hurt we may have caused, and then vow to do
better.
Which pronouns should you use?
Learning the terminology is a good first step. For example,
misgendering is one of the most common things that happens in the
trans community. Mis-gendering is when someone says
“she”
instead of
“he”
or, says
“he”
or
“she”
instead of“they” for somebody's pronounce that they
use.
Pronouns are how we refer to people when they’re not around.
She/her and he/him are the most common ones, and there are people
who use they/them as their pronouns too. Most recently, they/them
has been approved by the dictionary to say that even though it is
plural, it can refer to one singular person.
Chris explains pronouns are personal and we tend to make
assumptions about people’s pronouns when we meet them. In the past
year, we’ve seen a big push for people to put their pronouns in the
bio of the social media, in emails, or in the window of digital
meetings so people know what to correctly address you as. He says
this is not just for transgender or non-binary people. It’s for
everyone especially if cisgender people and allies do it because it
opens space for everyone to be addressed how they want to be
addressed. You can learn more terminology at
transathlete.com
You can't control other people’s opinions, but you can always
control how you respond.
“I realized over time is that I am not responsible for anybody
else's thoughts or opinions. What other people think of me is none
of my business,” Chris says,
“but
what I can control is how I respond.”
You are possible.
In 2010 Chris didn’t think transitioning was possible. He saw the
high school and college kids documenting their transitions but
didn't see any adults. Didn't see people in a mid-professional
career. Didn't see any trans men playing sports with men. He just
didn't know that it was possible.
It took a long time for Chris to even learn about trans identity
and to learn the word transgender in a meaningful way. For him to
realize it’s a possibility, then explore that with
himself.
He knows how women are treated in sport
Chris knows how women are treated in sports because he was treated
that way before transitioning. Women weren't given the same playing
time. Women got the hand-me-down uniforms and second rate
equipment. The men's team got celebrated while the women's team got
a brief mention. He shares the mind-blowing statistic that women's
sports only get 4% of media coverage on the whole of all
sports.
“I'm really grateful that I've had the experience of being raised
and socialized as female, competing in sports as a woman and then
transitioning to mail seeing how differently I'm treated, seeing
all of the harms that are done to women in sports. I think it just
gives me this really unique perspective about gender, about power,
about masculinity and femininity, and about positioning in the
world privilege and all of those things that can help me be a
better advocate.”
Chris says we have to understand that athletes come in different
sizes, shapes, body structures, types of abilities and athletes
receive different support.
How do you compete in sports as a trans-athlete?
In 2020 Chris became the first openly transgender male athlete to
compete in an Olympic trial. Even though he had to pull out because
of an injury, he said his main goal had been getting to Olympic
trials as a way to break the barrier and open the door for the next
person who comes after him.
What policies and protections exist?
Chris explains that in terms of trans policies, rules around
transgender affect access to housing, protections for young people
in schools, and the military. There were a number of harms
committed by this previous administration against the trans
community including targeted efforts banning trans people from
public life. It was a top-down presidential initiative going
through the Department of Education, and even Homeland Security.
But in terms of political and legislative actions, Chris says we
have a long fight ahead of us.
In the running world, when Chris first transitioned, he had to
write to the New York Road Runners and ask how he could switch
categories. He said nowadays many governing bodies have adopted new
policies, and others wouldn’t make the changes until the Olympic
level made them. Chris keeps track of these policies on his
website, transathlete.com
In terms of public image and media, Chris says we’re seeing
positive representation and seeing a celebration of achievements.
More people can look and see someone like themselves in the media
represented in a positive way or telling their story in their own
voice.
What can we do?
While big change lies in the hand of governments and companies,
changing public opinion is a wonderful way to get the change to
happen. It’s what inspires people to stand up and speak out and
say,
“This
is not what we want, we want equality. We want people to be treated
fairly.
We want people to be treated with dignity and respect. And this
does not align with our values.”
How you can be an ally.
“Don't be afraid to engage with trans people and ask questions,
respectful questions. The biggest thing is probably thinking about
why you need to know that information. And if it's not something
you'd ask any other person in the room probably don't ask a trans
person, but don't underestimate the impact that you can have in
anyone else's life.”
If you have any social circle– friends, and co-workers, you can
make an influence by being a good ally in those spaces that can
have a profound impact down the road. Everybody has a role to play–
whether it's in transphobia, homophobia, racial justice,
sexism.
Resources:
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Thanks for listening! I hope you enjoyed today's episode.
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Thank you to Chris, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on
the show.