Transgender Athletes in Cycling

With so many people in the transgender community living with the risk of violence and daily challenges, it is an important and timely topic. In support of transgender athletes and the community, here are a number of articles worth reading. Please be aware, this is a sensitive topic so some of the content about transphobia is hard to read. 

About the Transgender Community

"In 2018, advocates tracked at least 26 deaths of transgender or gender non-conforming people in the U.S. due to fatal violence, the majority of whom were Black transgender women. These victims were killed by acquaintances, partners and strangers, some of whom have been arrested and charged, while others have yet to be identified. Some of these cases involve clear anti-transgender bias. In others, the victim’s transgender status may have put them at risk in other ways, such as forcing them into unemployment, poverty, homelessness and/or survival sex work."
https://www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-transgender-comm...

Additional Reading
“Common transphobic themes of online posts included misgendering people - purposefully labelling somebody as a gender that they do not identify as.” https://www.google.com/…/www.b…/news/amp/technology-50166900

About World Champion, Rachel McKinnon

“She’s an elite road cyclist and track sprinter. She is also a transgender woman. And now, she’s a world champion—but one unsure of whether her sport really has her back, or if there’s a future for herself in cycling at all.”

https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a25736012/transgender-world-champ...

There has been a less thoughtful discussion taking place in a local cycling group on Facebook. Describing transgender women in a dehumanizing way. One of the best ways to address this is with knowledge and compassion so please read the above articles. 

This is meant as a safe space. Comments will be closely monitored. We are not looking to debate the conversation, this is about information, empathy, and compassion for a group that needs support from the rest of the cycling community.