I started sport at a very young age. I was bullied a lot as a kid, for being Asian, and also for my sexuality. I found team sport a very hostile environment because of the stereotype of Asian athletes and sports, and I was the only Asian kid in sports.

I started bodybuilding when I was six, lifting weights. I started going to the gym when I was around seven. I loved the sport because it was an individual sport. It was something that I chose, that built my self confidence and self worth.

I did have a very difficult time in the gym with all the misogyny or sexism, being a female kid in an adult male-dominated sport.

But as someone who’s always been very competitive, I just kind of love what the sport did for me.

I saw myself for the first time through sports while learning about the story of Arnold Schwarzenegger and how he celebrated his differences. I saw what kind of impact one could make through the power of sports, which led to all the affirmative activism that I do today.

[As told to @Ragi Gupta – to be continued tomorrow]