Creating a Culture of Transgender Inclusion in Sports — Episode 092

Today is the first day of Pride Month, yet, as we kick off
this month-long celebration designed to achieve equal justice and
equal opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community, we
continue to see many states introducing harmful legislation aimed
at preventing transgender youth from participating in
sports. At NRPA, it’s our position that being
recognized as the gender with which you identify is a basic
human right. Meaning that for the purposes of recreational
sports, youth should be allowed to participate in the
gender with which they identify. Last month, NRPA
published guidance to empower park and recreation
professionals to build more inclusive sport environments
that welcome all youth into programming. Today we look forward to
building on this guidance through a conversation with
someone who is doing incredible work in this space.  


We are thrilled to welcome Chris Mosier (he/him) to the podcast
today. Chris is a trailblazing athlete, coach and the founder of
TransAthlete.com. He is a six-time member of Team USA, and in
2015 he became the first openly transgender man to represent the
United States in international competition. He was the
catalyst for change for the International Olympic Committee
policy on transgender athletes and has been called “the man who
changed the Olympics” by the BBC and New York Magazine. He is
also a two-time National Champion and the first transgender
athlete to compete in the Olympic Trials in any sport in a
category different than their sex assigned at birth. Chris
is a go-to source for policy and information on transgender
inclusion in sports, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome
him to the show today.


Tune in to the full episode below to learn more about Chris’s
story, what all of these ‘firsts’ mean to him, and why his motto
is, “Be who you needed when you were younger.” You’ll also learn:


How we can apply the same principles used in changing the
International Olympic Committee’s policy on trans athletes for
adult and youth recreational sports.

Why Chris started Transathlete.com, a resource for
students, athletes, coaches and administrators about
trans inclusion in athletics.

What advice he would give to park and recreation
professionals trying to create cultures of inclusion in their
communities where everyone can thrive.

How to take action against recently proposed bills in many
states that would prevent transgender youth from participating in
sports.

Why we need to consider people and our facilities when
implementing more inclusive policies.

What Chris has planned for Pride Month, and more!



Additional resources:


Transathlete website

Transathlete action items (to see state bills and take
action)

Follow Chris on Instagram

Follow Chris on Twitter

Chris Mosier's website

NRPA: Supporting Transgender Inclusion in Youth Sports

NRPA Webinar: Transgender Inclusion in Sports: 101 (taking
place June 17, 2021 at 3 p.m. EDT)