Sporting Pride will once again join GCN, as part of their In & Out digital festival, to bring you an exciting live panel discussion on the topic of transgender participation in sport.

As the summer returns and brings many opportunities to engage in sport it is important to highlight the experiences of other voices who are not often heard when it comes to their inclusion.

This is a topic that needs to be pushed forward over the next few months and years in order to ensure an equal, safe space is available to everyone who wants to reap the benefits of sports participation.

Joining us on the evening will be three wonderful sports people, each bringing their own unique experiences of sport to share:

Violet O’Brien (Wicklow)

Since transitioning in 2015, Violet has found her voice trying to spread accessible and relatable messages about her experiences as a trans woman in Ireland, in tech and in sports. She’s spoken on stage at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, as well as featuring on RTÉ News and Radio. Violet grew up competing at national level in chess and is an avid football fan, having played pre and post transition to varying degrees of success!

Giulia Valentino (Dublin)

Originally from Italy, Giulia is an avid rugby player and climber who has been living in Dublin for the past two years. She is passionate about sports and has made inclusion in every sport discipline the core of her activism. She is a queer and transfeminist woman dreaming of post-gender society where patriarchy and binarism will be only bad memories.

Connor Shine (Galway)

Currently an Ordinary Committee Member on the Galway Community Pride committee for 2021, Connor is actively involved in the LGBTQ+ community in Galway. He plays soccer with the local LGBTQ+ football team, Teach Solais Tribes FC, is an active member of the running group set up by AMACH LGBT+, and he regularly attended drop-in at the local resource centre Teach Solais, prior to its closure. Connor was recently appointed to a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Panel created by Fulbright Ireland, and he is a board member of the Irish Fulbright Alumni Association and of Fulbright Prism Ireland.

The three panellists will discuss a variety of topics, including their positive experiences in sport, the challenges they’ve faced in relation to participation, and how to make sport a more inclusive space for members of the transgender community.

All are welcome to join this free event. To watch this exciting free webinar, go to the live streaming links below on Wednesday May 26 at 19:00.

Simultaneous live streaming GCN’s Facebook and YouTube channels.

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