[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In 2020, the Canadian women’s soccer team took home gold at the Tokyo Olympics, beating out Sweden to earn the top spot for the first time in Olympic history. On the heels of that victory, Canadian midfielder Quinn became the first-ever openly nonbinary and transgender athlete to not only win gold, but to medal at all in the Olympic Games. It was a groundbreaking moment for many reasons, with Quinn helping bring much-needed visibility and representation to the trans community. We sat down with Quinn to hear her thoughts on privilege, education, and representation.
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On privilege and humility
“It’s always surprising to think that I’m one of the first openly trans people to compete at the Olympics but then I also understand the realities of the situation. When I think I mirror my experience to that of trans women that have tried to compete and competed in past Olympics, I can understand where my points of privilege lie and the work that needs to continue to be done to make sure that it’s accessible for every trans person, not just trans masculine, white people.
On the power of education
“Representation and visibility are important. For younger generations to see people in their shoes and where they could be in the future, that’s hugely important. But in order to maintain accessibility, it comes down to education, and that is for everyone. It’s for people who are leading sports, organizing sports, as well as participants. In order to dispel all of the myths and misinformation around trans participation in sports, there needs to be education done at every level.”
On the bigger picture
“Progress isn’t always black and white. Sometimes its can be hazy. Especially with the landscape today, it’s difficult to see what progress has been made. But when you look at the larger scale and for a longer period of time, a lot of progress has been made. Every single time I talk to high school or college students, the advocacy work that’s being done and the amount of information that is being shared, it shows me that progress happens over time. These are the new generation of leaders. I’m optimistic that they’re going to move forward in the right direction.”
On finding your purpose
“It took me a long time to find my ‘why’ when it came to soccer. I knew I loved playing on the pitch every single day, and that brought me a lot of joy. But I didn’t understand what my purpose in the game was for a long time. I bring it back to my experience as a whole in terms of my trans experience. For me, it’s about making sure the game is accessible for people. That is such a huge motivator for me every single day… I want more people to experience the same joy that I have.”
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