Being in spaces with trans athletes made me realize just the amount of change and the amount of oppression and the hurdles that people had to face.

It's hard enough for a trans person to exist in a "real world". We’re not able to find ourselves reflected in these professional or social worlds because they’re so predominantly masculine and male-dominated.

Even in women's sports, everything about being a woman is dictated by cis-het men.

Not only are trans athletes facing the physical changes that their body goes through in terms of identity, but they are also having to wrestle with relearning how their body moves through their sport, which is a whole different sphere.

As an athlete, I felt like I almost had to learn my sport all over again when I transitioned, because I had to readjust to the limitations within my body.

There’s a lot of stereotypes and misinformation being spread about what it means to be a trans athlete, and the "advantages and disadvantages" of being a trans athlete.

By being in spaces with other trans athletes, I got to see what it means to disprove these stereotypes in person and what it means to overcome them, which helped me prepare myself for my own journey.

Even if I hadn't realized it yet – when my egg hadn't cracked – I had people who might not have shown me the entire path, but showed me where the path could go and what it could look like. I had to learn exactly what that meant for me.

But it was nice to have those people to talk to, to witness and holistically understand what a trans athlete goes through mentally, physically and emotionally and spiritually.

[As told to @Ragi Gupta — continued: https://www.pixstory.com/story/degendersports-misinformation-about-trans-athletes-erase-the-wide-gambit-of-what-being-a-human-is1679227366/200342]