The 25-year-old no longer uses first names and will not be referred to by gender pronouns, but by “they” (in Norwegian). Quinn has been a national team player since 2014 and won an Olympic bronze in 2016, but emerged as a trans player last year.

Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard from New Zealand, who lived the first 35 years of her life as a man, received a lot of attention for her participation in the women’s weightlifting class at the start of the Olympics. This sparked debate, and some claimed that Hubbard had an unfair physical advantage over competitors.

The debate died down when 43-year-old Hubbard failed to manage his opening weight in the +87-kilo class and was left fruitless. The New Zealand racer admitted that he was overwhelmed by the attention.

digestible

Quinn is relatively under the radar. Usually the debate will subside when someone previously identified as a woman emerges as trans.

– I can be considered one of the more digestible versions of what it means to be trans. I’m white and trans-masculine, but I want my story to be known because it can make trans people more visible, Quinn told the club team website OL Reign.

Hen has been linked with the club since 2019, but last year was loaned out to Sweden’s Vittsjö.

Open the door

– I got messages from young people saying they had never seen a trans person in sports before. “If I can help open the door so young people can play the sport they love, that will be my legacy,” Quinn told CBC after a shock victory over the US in the Olympic semifinals.

– It makes me proud to participate in the Olympics, but it makes me sad to know that other Olympic athletes before me couldn’t live their truth because of how the world is, she has reported on social media.

– Trans athletes are still excluded from the sport and faced with prejudice when they pursue their dreams. The fight isn’t over yet. I’ll celebrate while we’re all here.

(©NTB)