The Harvard University Men's Swim Team has an individual swimmer who is paving the way. Schuyler Bailar is the first openly transgendered male to compete on an NCAA Division 1 men's team. He recently stopped by the Ellen DeGeneres's show to share his experience, and there is no getting around how great how important that kind of visibility is. Here's why we loved Schuyler's interview with Ellen.
1)Trans Men Need More Mainstream Visibility
The struggle trans women have had to face has often been much harder than what many trans men have had to go through. There was a big push in the LGBT community to prioritize trans women, especially trans women of color, in the media for good reason! However, at this point I believe more trans men need to feel less invisible and have their identities recognized in the mainstream media. Appearing Ellen's award-winning show, watched by millions daily, is a great start to bringing trans men into people's homes.
2)Non-White Trans Men Need To Be Given More Space
In terms of the trans men that do have representation, like Aydian Dowling, The Original Plumbing guys, and Ian Harvey, they are all white and pass very well. Even if you go on YouTube, the land of trans men documenting themselves, a majority of these guys are white. It's great to see a non-white trans man on national TV!
3) More Exposure Could Mean More Exclusively Cisgender Organizations Will Open Doors for Trans Men
Men of transgender experience are regularly excluded from male only spaces. Schuler has said that he didn't want to come out, but rather, be a "woman in the pool and man in the school." But, his coach, very wisely told Schuyler it wouldn't be a healthy way to live. That said, the male swim coach, Kevin Tyrrell asked him to join the team. Schuyler says that all of the guys on the team were welcoming and open about it. Schuyler's being a welcome part of the Harvard swim team is a great step and push in the right direction for other male only sports teams, clubs, and spaces to include trans men.
4) The Representation Is Good for Young People to See
Kids need to know that some things get easier and better. They don't have to be tricked into thinking everything will be perfect but just that there is hope for them to living a somewhat happy and stable life. When interviews like this one occur and trans/queer kids see it, it can be inspirational.
5) We've Come A Long Way
It wasn't that long ago that Ellen shocked the nation when she came out in the 1990s on her TV show and on the cover of Time magazine. People could not stop analyzing Ellen, questioning her sexuality, and making assumptions about who she was and what her motives were. It's true, gender identity and sexuality are not the same thing, but Ellen is still a trailblazer who helped us get to where we are today in terms of national LGBT recognition.
Here's the interview in full. Go Schuyler!
