"I was never going to be fully included": Transgender Sport Participants' Experiences of the Athletic Transition Process

Transgender eligibility and participation in sport has a long history of being policed by such means as sex testing of athletes participating in women’s competitions, continually changing eligibility policies from sport organizations, and increasing anti-transgender sport legislation (Harper, 2020; Heggie, 2010; Jones et al., 2017b; Love, 2017; Martowicz et al., 2023; NCAA, 2022; Photopoulos, 2021; Trans Legislation Tracker, 2024; World Athletics, 2023). Expanding on previous research about transgender athletes’ experiences of the athletic transition process (Klein et al., 2018, 2019), the purpose of this study was to utilize an intersectional transfeminist lens to understand the experiences of adult transgender sport participants throughout the process of athletically transitioning from one gender category (e.g., men’s, women’s, mixed) in sport to another. Applying a basic qualitative research design, I conducted semi-structured interviews via Zoom with 14 participants. Using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis to analyze the interview transcripts, transgender sport participants’ experiences of the athletic transition process centered around the following five themes: (a) Discrimination, (b) Policies, (c) Social Connection, (d) Importance of Support, and (e) Athletic (In)Ability. Participants feared potential discrimination and experienced actual discrimination by having their identities delegitimized. Participants discussed the impact that sport organizations’ policies had on their ability to athletically transition, which included completing administrative tasks, restricting participation, and enabling participation. Transgender sport participants described their experiences of social connection, which included both exclusionary and inclusionary experiences. The participants in this study emphasized the importance of their support system during the athletic transition process. Lastly, participants explained how their athletic (in)ability served as both a barrier and facilitator of the athletic transition process. Based on the findings from the current study, sport organizations must implement transfeminist-informed policy changes, openly support LGBTQ+ people in sport and LGBTQ+ organizations, and bring transgender representation to the forefront of sports to make sport a more empowering and supportive experience for all.