I’d want my younger self to know that "It's okay that you feel uncomfortable."

I’d love to give my younger self the language to express the discomfort. I don't know necessarily that my teachers, the adults, or peers around me would’ve been able to navigate it very well.

But to have the language to say, "This is my experience, this is what I'm going through, and this is what I would like to happen in order for me to be able to join these activities” -- that would’ve been great."

I guess that speaks to me now, where I'd love to advocate for those young people who are in similar situations, and help them explain what they’re experiencing to schools and education centres.

I hope to give them access to language to navigate, communicate and defend, when it comes to their access to sports and sport education.

I think it’d be great if we could get trans kids and trans people in general, to have some kind of connection in a different way than dysphoria to their bodies.

For trans people with dysphoria, the relationship between one’s body and brain is often about being disconnected or disassociated. And sport and fitness can challenge that by bringing almost every muscle and internal organ into play, along with dietary stuff, sleep ability, posture and physical ability.

If we really hone some of those weirdly gendered things, it can give us a completely different outlook on sports and dysphoria.

I've met so many trans girls who are like, "Oh my gosh, my butt is so round and good from running." And I'm like, "Yeah, exactly, you can feel gender euphoria from doing something that isn't necessarily what it's advertised for doing."

I would love to say that to my younger self, that "In the future, these are possibilities and you will have the body that you need, and you'll be able to use it for all the fun things that you'd like to do."

[As told to @Ragi Gupta]