Transgender Inclusion in Synchronized Skating
by Shannon Herrick, Meredith Rocchi, and Lauren Couture
Synchronized skating is one of the few competitive mixed gender team sports in existence. What does that mean? There are very few high-level competitive sports (save for synchronized skating’s close underwater friend, synchronized or artistic swimming) that do not separate athletes on the basis of gender. Sport participation fosters many benefits and, beyond the numerous health benefits, team sports can provide integral social benefits. Given that most team sports are organized via the gender binary of male vs. female, many transgender and gender-nonconforming athletes are either: (a) excluded from participation, (b) play on teams that do not align with their gender identity, (c) switch teams to one that aligns with their gender identity, or (d) retire prematurely from sport.
Thankfully, synchronized skating—in being a mixed gender team sport by design, inherently has the capability to facilitate the inclusion of transgender athletes. By exploring the experiences of a transgender athlete through a case study of his synchronized skating team, we were able to draw informed suggestions for transgender inclusion.
We have organized these suggestions for different stakeholders:
For Coaches and Club Administrators:
- Always talk to your athlete: This is the most obvious of our suggestions – but is essential. The well-being of your athletes should always be at the forefront of your mind. Make sure avenues of communication are open and that your athletes feel comfortable to approach other skaters, coaches, and club administrators (and vice versa). If you are coaching or skating with a transgender athlete and you’re unsure of how to best support them—just ask them. Simple questions like, how are you doing? Is everything alright? Is there anything I can do to help? can go a long way. Don’t avoid trans athletes; include them and talk to them! Include them in decisions about competition attire, competition rooming lists, and potentially even program themes.
- Advocate for your athlete: Does your home rink have suitable spaces for your athletes to change and use the washroom? Does the host venue for a competition have suitable spaces? Does your athlete face any barriers to domestic and international travel (e.g., do they have up-to-date government identification? Is the competition taking place in notoriously transphobic area?) Transgender athletes shouldn’t have to be worried about bathrooms or their safety, they should be able to worry about performing to the best of their ability on the ice (like everyone else on the team).
- It’s not your job to ‘out’ your athlete: If an athlete has told you that they are a transgender then they trust you to understand that identity disclosure is a tricky, personal thing. Some athletes might prefer if their teammates are not aware, while others may prefer to be publicly out as transgender (when in doubt, rely on suggestion #1). The important thing to remember is that your athlete should be the only one to disclose their identity to people they feel comfortable within the club or the club. It is not your job to tell other people that your athlete is transgender.
- Normalize gender-neutral language: Asking someone’s pronouns (he/she/they) should not be awkward or taboo. It is better to ask someone what their pronouns are, than assuming what their pronouns are based on how they appear to you. Include non-binary options on your registration forms. It’s incredibly difficult to unlearn or challenge this process, but everyone has to start somewhere. Similarly, when speaking to a group, avoid ‘Hey guys!’ or ‘Come here ladies!’ We’re often taught to address the majority which can make people feel glossed over. There are multiple gender-neutral plural terms at your disposal—Listen everyone! Circle up skaters! Good job team!
- Understanding ups and downs: All athletes, especially student athletes, have a lot on their plates—this is especially true for transgender athletes. Our entire society is based on the incorrect assumptions that there are only two genders and you are correctly assigned one at birth—subsequently, transgender people are more likely to face discrimination, harassment, exclusion, and violence than their cisgender (a person whose gender identity corresponds with the gender they were assigned at birth) teammates. Transgender athletes need support, understanding, and empathy. If they need time away from the ice (i.e. recovery from gender-affirming surgeries, etc.), then hopefully that is something you can understand, discuss and plan together. Although downs may be hard, the ups should not be forgotten. Celebrate every small victory—if your athlete shares something with you, maybe their driver’s license finally has “X” as their gender marker, maybe they just started hormones—if they’re excited and happy, you can share in that joy with them.
- Be aware of relevant gender and LGBTQ2 policies: Sport policies, provincial policies, national policies, etc. Policies operate across a multitude of levels to police and hopefully more so to protect transgender bodies. Being aware of the structural limitations as well as newer protective policies placed on your athletes both in and outside of their sport, helps you to stay informed and advocate for them. For example, be aware of costuming restrictions and allowances. Thankfully, in 2018, Skate Canada endorsed a transgender inclusion policy to better support and foster transgender participation in skating.
For Competition Organizers and Club Administrators:
- Dressing room and bathroom facilities should facilitate, not impede participation in our sport: Dressing rooms and bathrooms are usually organized via the gender binary and are one of the most pernicious barriers to transgender participation in physical activity. Does your rink have a gender-neutral changing area? Will transgender athletes feel safe accessing the bathroom? When hosting competitions or events, what facilities are available or can be made available to transgender athletes? Make sure that the area designated isn’t just a tiny bathroom stall within a traditional dressing room – these generally aren’t large enough or suitable to change into competition attire.
For Athletes:
- Support goes a long way: It can be difficult to balance the social and the sport side of synchronized skating, but regardless of how much you may want to succeed or win, taking time to make sure that you and all of your teammates feel safe and included is a fundamental part of team sports.
List of resources:
Skate Canada’s Safe Sport-Trans Inclusion Policy
https://info.skatecanada.ca/index.php/en-ca/policies/336-trans-inclusion-policy.html
Trans Athlete—An online resource for athletes, coaches, and administrators to find information on transgender inclusion in sport
Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport—Sex and gender diversity training program
https://cces.ca/sex-and-gender-diversity
About the Authors:
Shannon is a PhD candidate in Kinesiology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Their research focuses on LGBTQ+ experiences within a variety of physical activity contexts.
Meredith is an Assistant Professor in Health Communication at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. She’s a former synchro skater and a current coach.
Lauren is an Associate Professor in the Sociology of Sport and Pedagogy at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada. She’s a former synchro skater and coach, who is now a choreographer and technical specialist.