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class="in-play in-play--article"><span class="in-play-shape"><span class="in-label" data-note="for-screen-rears">Rume</span></span></i></a></div><div class="article-meta"><span class="article-meta-em--date"><span tle="Thursday, June 17th 2021, 10:57:51 am">June 17, 2021</span></span><ul class="article-meta-em--thorlist article-meta-group"><li class="article-meta-em article-meta-em--thor"><a class="article-meta-lk article-meta-em--thor" href="/si/staff/tonya-mosley">Tonya Mosley</a></li><li class="article-meta-em article-meta-em--thor"><a class="article-meta-lk article-meta-em--thor" href="/si/staff/allison-hagan">Allison Hagan</a></li></ul><div class="article-share article-share-ins"><a href=" & target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" class="article-share-lk" tle="Share on Facebook"><svg class="in in-facebook" viewBox="0 0 128 128" role="img" width="24" aria-labelledby="tle"><tle id="tle">facebook</tle><path display="le" d="M120.1,0H8.2c-4.4,0-8,3.6-8,8v112c0,4.4,3.6,8,8,8h60.4V78.2h-16V59.8h16V43.9 c0-14.6,8.9-24.3,26.4-24.3c7.7,0,13.1,0.9,13.1,0.9V37h-12c-5.3,0-8,3-8,8.2v14.5h18.7l-2.7,18.4h-16v49.7h32c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8V8 C128.1,3.6,124.5,0,120.1,0z"></path></svg></a><a href="mailto:?body=Nikki Hiltz Hop To Bee One Of The First Openly Transgenr Athlet At The Nikki Hiltz Hop To Bee One Of The First Openly Transgenr Athlet At The Olympics" class="article-share-lk" tle="Share by email"><svg class="in in-email" viewBox="0 0 128 128" width="20" aria-labelledby="tle"><tle id="tle">Email</tle><path display="le" d="M64.2,86.3l-64-48V104c0,4.4,3.6,8,8,8h112c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8V38.4L64.2,86.3z M64.2,72l64-48 c0-4.4-3.6-8-8-8H8.2c-4.4,0-8,3.6-8,8L64.2,72z"></path></svg></a></div></div></hear><sectn class="article-sectn--lead-image article-sectn--lead-image--standard"><figure class="article-fig" style="aspect-rat:1000 / 860"><picture class="article-fig-ner"><img class="article-image" src=" alt="Nikki Hiltz petn at the 2019 World Athletics Champnships (USATF)"/></picture><figptn class="article-fig-ptn">Nikki Hiltz petn at the 2019 World Athletics Champnships (USATF)</figptn></figure></sectn><div class="article-sectns"><sectn class="article-sectn--ntent hang-punctuatn article-sectn--first article-sectn--centered"><p class="">Profsnal nner <a href=">Nikki Hiltz</a> recently cid was time to share a tth.</p><p class="">The middle-distance nner had been openly gay for years, but was durg a virtual fundraiser last summer about suici preventn for LGBTQ youth that Hiltz realized was time to tell the whole story.</p><p class="">Four people ed the race as an opportuny to e out, so Hiltz wanted to hear their stori before this year’s event. The nversatns served as one of the last ph that Hiltz need to e out as transgenr and nonbary.</p><p class="">The 26-year-old is now vyg for one of three spots on the Olympic team as a qualifyg nttant nng the women's 1,500-meter event at the U.S. Track and Field Trials, which start on Friday Eugene, Oregon.</p><p class="nt-medium">“I'm feelg really exced. It's fely been a long time g,” they say. “I've been a profsnal nner for three years now, but I've always dreamed of racg for a chance to be on our Olympic team.”</p><p class="">COVID-19 has been an add strs for athlet preparg to pete, they say. When to the COVID-19 ncerns surroundg the Olympics, Hiltz tsts USA Track & Field and the Internatnal Olympic Commtee to make the right cisns.</p><p class="">On top of adjtg to COVID-19 preutns, Hiltz says the past year has been “transformative.”</p><p class="nt-medium">“I've jt kd of been livg my tth a few months now, and jt feels like a weight has been lifted,” they say. “Any time as an athlete I n step on the track and I n be my te self, I'm gog to n my bt and I'm gog to perform my bt.”</p><p class="">Hiltz feels grateful for the transgenr people who paved the way for their journey and hop to create more space for others to be themselv.</p><p class="">But ’s been difficult to al wh people’s opns about their inty, Hiltz says.</p><p class="">Hiltz was assigned female at birth but don’t intify wh eher bary genr, rather intifyg as nonbary and g they/them pronouns.</p><p class="nt-medium">“It's jt been very affirmg to hear the announcers or people, you know, refer to me as they/them,” they say. “And jt feels more right.”</p><p class="">In a <a href=">piece</a> for NBC Sports, Hiltz pats a picture of their younger self Santa Cz, California, revelg the physily of lifeguardg, nng and swimmg — g this stment of their body. But somewhere along the way, as they ma their way to anized sports, they realized that sports were built on the genr bary.</p><p class="">Hiltz is tryg to create space to be a nonbary athlete the genred world of sports and start nversatns around how to loosen the “strict bari” our society.</p><p class="nt-medium">“I thk sport uld actually be one of the first plac that change n happen,” they say.</p><p class="">Prr to g out, Hiltz says hidg their inty led them to start rentg nng. They had to choose between g out or wag for their reer to end to open up about their genr inty.</p><p class="">Language is important when talkg about genr and sports, Hiltz says.</p><p class="nt-medium">“I thk some of my dysphoria I've experienced has been when I'm on the startg le and 's, you know, the women's 1,500,” they say. “And 's kd of a ltle b kd of out of body. I'm like, ‘Is that me? Is that like how I intify?’ ”</p><p class="">Hiltz says they rell hearg soccer star Megan Rapoe say “athlet that pete women's sports” when talkg about the U.S. women's natnal soccer team. For them, the language “athlet the women’s 1,500” feels right — and while they don’t have all the answers on how to addrs genr sports, they’re glad to be havg this nversatn.</p><hr/><p class=""><em><a href=">Ashley Locke</a> produced and eded this terview for broadst wh <a href=">Tku Ray</a>. <a href=">Allison Hagan</a> adapted for the web.</em></p></sectn></div><sectn class="article-sectn--story-group article-sectn--centered"><p class=""><em>This segment aired on June 17, 2021.</em></p></sectn><sectn class="article-sectn--story-group article-sectn--centered Tags_article-sectn--tags__NOKiB"><a data-ec="Article Tags" data-el="Tokyo Summer Olympics" data-ea="Click" class="article-tag" href="/rad/programs/hereandnow/tag/tokyo-olympics-summer-gam">Tokyo Summer Olympics</a></sectn></article><sectn class="article-sectn--story-group article-sectn--centered"><hear class="zone"><div class="zone-ner"><h2 class="zone-hdr">Related:</h2></div></hear><ul class="article-story-group"><li class="story-group-em"><a data-ec="Article Related Lks" data-el="New ESPN Documentary '144' Turns The Lens On The WNBA'S 2020 Season" data-ea="Click" class="story-group-lk" href=">New ESPN Documentary '144' Turns The Lens On The WNBA'S 2020 Season</a></li><li class="story-group-em"><a data-ec="Article Related Lks" data-el="The Comeback Story Of Olympic Swimmer Dara Torr" data-ea="Click" class="story-group-lk" href=">The Comeback Story Of Olympic Swimmer Dara Torr</a></li><li class="story-group-em"><a data-ec="Article Related Lks" data-el="'Fernandomania' 40 Years Later: How Fernando Valenzuela Captivated Baseball Fans For Des" data-ea="Click" class="story-group-lk" href=">'Fernandomania' 40 Years Later: How Fernando Valenzuela Captivated Baseball Fans For Des</a></li><li class="story-group-em"><a data-ec="Article Related Lks" data-el="WNBA Star Renee Montgomery Leav Atlanta Dream To Fight For Racial Jtice" data-ea="Click" class="story-group-lk" href=">WNBA Star Renee Montgomery Leav Atlanta Dream To Fight For Racial Jtice</a></li></ul></sectn><sectn class="article-sectn--story-group article-sectn--centered"><div class="ntributor has-photo"><div class="ntributor-profile"><figure class="ntributor-profile-em ntributor-photo"><a href="/si/staff/tonya-mosley"><picture><img src=" class="lazy rd-image" alt=""/></picture></a></figure><p class="ntributor-profile-em ntributor-b"><a class="ntributor-name" href="/si/staff/tonya-mosley">Tonya Mosley</a> <span class="ntributor-tle">Corrponnt, Here & Now</span><br/>Tonya Mosley was the LA-based -host of Here & Now. </p><p class="ntributor-more"><a class="ntributor-lk ntributor-b-lk" href="/si/staff/tonya-mosley">More…</a></p></div></div><div class="ntributor has-photo"><div class="ntributor-profile"><figure class="ntributor-profile-em ntributor-photo"><a href="/si/staff/allison-hagan"><picture><img src=" class="lazy rd-image" alt=""/></picture></a></figure><p class="ntributor-profile-em ntributor-b"><a class="ntributor-name" href="/si/staff/allison-hagan">Allison Hagan</a> <span class="ntributor-tle">Digal Producer, Here & Now</span><br/>Allison Hagan is a digal producer for Here & Now.</p><p class="ntributor-more"><a class="ntributor-lk ntributor-b-lk" href="/si/staff/allison-hagan">More…</a></p></div></div></sectn><sectn class="sectn--bo sectn--bp"><div class="uw bp--rponsive"><div class="bp-ner"><p class="bp-label">Advertisement</p><div class="bp-ntent bp-ntent--centered"><div style="width:300px;height:50px"></div></div></div></div></sectn><div></div><div class="global-d-ponents onmand--is-playg"><div class="global-player"><d preload="to"></d><div class="global-player-bar"><div class="global-player-bar-left"><button class="global-player-bar-ntrol"><i class="in-play in-play--global-player-bar in-play--psed"><span class="in-play-shape"><span class="in-label" data-note="for-screen-rears">Rume</span></span></i></button><div class="global-player-label global-player-label--live"><div class="global-player-channel"><span>Listen Live</span></div><div class="global-player-tle"><a class="global-player-label-lk" href="/">Loadg...</a></div></div></div><div class="global-player-bar-right"><div class="global-player-x"><svg class="in in-close" viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-labelledby="tle"><tle id="tle">Close

gay track and field

Amerin 100-meter rerd holr Tyson Gay, who had promoted himself as a clean athlete, tted posive for a banned substance and said he will pull out of the world champnships next month Mosw.

Contents:

THE GAY LLEGE TRACK STARS ARE BT IENDS AND CHAMPNS

Tom Wadll, an athlete the 1968 Olympics, created the Gay Gam first held 1982 to celebrate LGBTQ cln. The Gay Gam are still held to this day wh the next round schled for 2022 Hong Kong. * gay track and field *

To improve LGBTQ reprentatn profsnal sports, Schweighofer and Denison said, ach and lears youth sports should set a precent that homophobic language and discrimatn are unacceptable. Sometim the Gam have taken place untri where homosexualy is not wily accepted or where legislatn impacts LGBTQ rints. Denison’s rearch fds that most LGBTQ athlet leave their sports as young people, a parture driven by a culture of homophobic language and stereotyp.

GAY, BISEXUAL ATHLET OUT AND PROUD AT BIG TEN TRACK MEET

Denis Fnegan is one of the most rated gay athlet track & field to e out publicly. He jt wants to help. * gay track and field *

Daley has said that while he’s accepted his sport of divg, he often pet agast divers om untri where beg gay is crimalized.

WELE TO THE ‘GAY GAM,’ AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE OLYMPICS, WHERE ACTIVISM IS ENURAGED AND EVERYONE’S AN ATHLETE

And Rapoe 2018 said that, as a kid, she “would have loved to have more rmatn” about what meant to be gay and why g homophobic slurs was wrong. “Anytime you hear somebody say, ‘Oh, that’s gay, ’ or whatever, those thgs matter, ” said Rapoe, who didn’t e out to her teammat until llege.

Homophobic slurs ntue to be prevalent sports – a 2020 study om Out on the Fields, which studi LGBTQ cln sports, found that more than 80% of gay participants had heard them ed while playg. When ach and teammat e gay slurs equently, sends the msage that the language is harmls and OK to e – and solidifi the belief that all members of the team are heterosexual, Denison said.

DENIS FNEGAN, 10-TIME NATNAL CHAMPN, OUT AS GAY

The same Out on the Fields study reported that over 81% of gay men unr 22 hid their sexualy to avoid rejectn by teammat or discrimatn by ach or officials, among other reasons. But we n assume that many s, gay players will jt drop out of their sport.

That’s a problem for profsnal sports – wh few gay players sport, there will be even fewer who will make profsnally. “Boys and young men are tght to avoid anythg associated wh femy, most notably weakns, emotn, and homosexualy, ” said Schweighofer, whose work on LGBTQ cln sports has appeared the publitn of the Natnal Park Foundatn.

The same homophobic norms that affect men sports impact women and girls, too, and they origated the 19th century, Denison said. Homophobic stereotyp of women athlet, though no longer based on women’s abily to reproduce, persist today, Denison said.

RERD-SETTG LLEGE ATHLETE SAYS G OUT AS GAY WAS THE BT THG HE DID FOR HIS REER

The two gay llege track stars jt fished a champnship season at Colorado State Universy, wng the 2021 Mounta Wt Men’s Outdoor Track & Field tle.

ATHLETE DENIS FNEGAN OUT AS GAY

“Sometim, you jt need the gay sh, ” LaRance said.

FOR GAY LLEGE TRACK ATHLETE, HEARG SLURS ON MP WAY TOO MON

“We started dog watch parti for RuPl’s Drag Race, and we listen to our gay mic.

TYSON GAY

But most importantly, there is the “gay sh. I was happy to have someone to actually have gay nversatns. Wh Covid-19 rtrictns lifted, LaRance and Golbe are lookg forward to a hot gay summer.

The other four athlet are gay.

“Beg gay don’t hr you any way. “The stigma of that you n’t be a strong llegiate athlete and gay is dyg off.

TYSON GAY ADMS TO POSIVE TT

Jab Cornish (sophomore, Texas divg) fished fourth at Sunday’s USA Divg Senr Natnal Champnships on platform wh a sre of 342. Michael Holland (sophomore, Felician baseball) did not pch the fal four gam of the season as the Goln Falns (30-25 overall) went 2-2 the CACC Tournament on May 10-13.

10:53Download AudCopy the below to embed the WBUR d player on your seRumeProfsnal nner Nikki Hiltz recently cid was time to share a middle-distance nner had been openly gay for years, but was durg a virtual fundraiser last summer about suici preventn for LGBTQ youth that Hiltz realized was time to tell the whole people ed the race as an opportuny to e out, so Hiltz wanted to hear their stori before this year’s event. Atralian A-League soccer star Josh Cavallo me out as gay an October vio posted to his social media, beg hailed as the first current male top-flight profsnal soccer player to publicly do so.

I'm a footballer and I'm gay. "He ntued: "Growg up I always felt the need to hi myself, you know, bee I was ashamed, and ashamed I'll never be able to do what I love and be gay. In a September terview wh USA Today, 25-year-old mor league baseball player beme the only active baseball profsnal to be out as gay!

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY TRACK AND FIELD

Wele to the 'Gay Gam,' an Olympics alternative, where activism is enuraged and everyone's an athlete | CNN .

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