Everyone was talking about Laurel Hubbard. Quinn may be right to stand in the Olympic spotlight in the shadow of the New Zealander — the first transgender athlete at the Olympics, on a historic day in Tokyo. But now Quinn hit a milestone when the Canadian women’s national team regular midfield team against Sweden (3:2 iE) became the first open transgender person to win an Olympic medal in the final — and a gold medal at that.
Quinn, 25, has only one name and came out last year via Instagram as transgender and non-binary. As an umbrella term, the latter includes people who are neither male nor female. Accordingly, Quine prefers the gender-neutral pronouns they/them.
“I wanted to be authentic in all areas of my life, and that includes in public spaces,” Quinn said at the time. Because a large part of this space is (still) strictly binary.
All the more important are role models, like Quinn from US club OL Reign in Seattle, who raise awareness. “I get messages from young people that they’ve never seen a transgender person in sports,” Quinn told CBC after Canada sensationally ousted big favorite USA in the semi-finals.
The story of Quinn, who has been a part of the Canadian women’s national team since 2014, may have received less attention around the Olympic Games because, unlike Hubbard, the question of physical advantage does not arise. From Quinn’s point of view, there’s still a long way to go toward greater acceptance.
“With trans girls being banned from sport, trans women face discrimination and prejudice when trying to pursue their Olympic dreams,” said Quinn, summarizing the problem in sport. “The fight,” said Quinn, “is not over yet.”
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