Canadian soccer player the 1st openly transgender person to receive an Olympic medal
Posted August 2, 2021 1:15 pm.
Last Updated August 2, 2021 1:42 pm.
TOKYO — Team Canada is going for gold for the first time ever in women’s Olympic soccer but it’s not the only historic moment from the team.
A member of Canada’s team will become the first openly transgender and non-binary athlete to win an Olympic medal.
Twenty-five-year-old Quinn publicly came out in a social media post last fall.
“Coming out is HARD ( and kinda bs). I know for me it’s something I’ll be doing over again for the rest of my life. As I’ve lived as an openly trans person with the people I love most for many years, I did always wonder when I’d come out publicly,” the midfielder wrote on Instagram.
Quinn’s pronouns are they/them.
Quinn has been outspoken against transphobia and uses their platforms to urge allies to speak out when witnessing hate.
Before heading to the Olympics, they wrote that the moment was bittersweet.
“I feel sad knowing there were Olympians before me unable to live their truth because of the world,” Quinn said ahead of the Olympics.
The Toronto native added, “I feel optimistic for change. Change in legislature. Changes in rules, structures, and mindsets.”
“Mostly, I feel aware of the realities. Trans girls being banned from sports. Trans women facing discrimination and bias while trying to pursue their olympic dreams. The fight isn’t close to over… and I’ll celebrate when we’re all here,” Quinn said in a social media post in July.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQHbMn6JQsj/
Another athlete, New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard, is the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Olympics.
Hubbard competed in the women’s super-heavyweight 87-kilogram category in the Tokyo Olympics, but she did not advance to the medal.
The International Olympic Committee is set to release information regarding eligibility requirements for transgender athletes. The last report came out in 2015.
With files from Sportsnet’s Caroline Frolic
