As part of GCN’s In & Out Festival of LGBTQ+ Creativity, Sporting Pride is delighted to invite you to a live online discussion with elite Transgender athlete Chris Mosier.

Transgender inclusion in sports is a topic that has been discussed all too often without the presence of Transgender athletes – the voices of those most affected have been ignored. It is for this reason that it is important to create spaces for the Transgender community to express themselves and be listened to.

Chris Mosier has been called “the man who changed the Olympics” by the BBC and New York Magazine. In 2020 he made history by becoming the first Transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Trials in the gender with which they identify. In 2015, he became the first openly Trans man to make Team USA in the men’s division and was the catalyst for change in the International Olympic Committee policy on Transgender athletes. In 2016, he became the first Trans athlete to compete in a world championship race under the new rules. Chris is a two-time Men’s National Champion, a Men’s All-American, and an inductee into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. He is sponsored by Nike and was the first Transgender athlete to land a contract with any major sporting company.

Chris’s website, transathlete.com, is the go-to source for information about Transgender athletes in sport. He has written and advocated for change in policies from the high school level to national governing bodies and professional leagues and has become one of the leading grassroots organisers against the current wave of anti-Trans legislation across the United States. When not fighting the good fight, he mentors Transgender and non-binary athletes around the world in hopes that he can live by his motto of “be who you needed when you were younger.”

The event will be hosted by the wonderful Transgender activist and all-around community legend, Philippa Ryder. She will bring Chris through a range of topics including his experience as an elite level Transgender athlete, the biases the community face, creating a culture of inclusion in sports, and what steps need to be taken to increase Transgender participation in sport.

Philippa says she is “delighted to have the opportunity to discuss with Chris Mosier his thoughts on the subject of participation of Trans people in sports. With the current negativity around the Trans community and some extremists denying our basic right to even exist it is vital that discussions like this happen regularly, portraying a positive and true image of Trans people living their lives and just being true to themselves”.

This event will be live-streamed via GCN’s Facebook and YouTube channels on Thursday, May 26 at 2 PM. Viewers will have the opportunity to leave comments and questions throughout which will be picked up by the host towards the end of the discussion.

With thanks to the generous support of the US Embassy in Ireland and the Bank of Ireland Begin Together fund.