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Transgender rowers compete in Ottawa to change attitudes in sports

Started by Lara the Lover and the Fighter, August 24, 2014, 09:19:54 PM

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Lara the Lover and the Fighter

Transgender rowers compete in Ottawa to change attitudes in sports


http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/transgender-rowers-compete-in-ottawa-to-change-attitudes-in-sports-1.1973543


Clare Clancy, The Canadian Press
Published Sunday, August 24, 2014 8:06AM EDT
Last Updated Sunday, August 24, 2014 3:45PM EDT


Two transgender athletes who competed in a boat race on Sunday say the event is a much-needed step forward for the inclusion of transgender people in sports.
Organizers say the 22-kilometre race along the Ottawa River marked the first time that openly transgender athletes competed in rowing in Canada.
Enza Anderson and Savannah Burton, who first took to the water only two months ago, are part of a five-person team dubbed Team TRANS-fusion.
They finished fourth out of five teams, with a timing of just over two hours, about 10 minutes behind the first-place rowers.
The team's introduction to rowing was part of a pilot project at Toronto's Hanlan Boat Club, which sought to attract transgender people to its Learn-to-Row program.
Anderson, 50, said she stayed away from sports for most of her life, wary of the discrimination that transgender athletes can face.
"For me the experience has been very emotional," she said. "You never know when you go into an environment like this if people will accept you."
She said it's a reality that all transgender people face on a regular basis.
"Going to gym has always been my worst nightmare, because I've heard horror stories about the change-room dilemma," she said. "I want to do my workout and not get hassled by anybody."
Rowing has become an outlet for Anderson, who said the boat club has provided her with technical know-how and a new hobby.

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