Transgender student hopes to inspire others by running his first LA Marathon

[stephaniec]

Transgender student hopes to inspire others by running his first LA Marathon

http://www.dailynews.com/lgbt/20160212/transgender-student-hopes-to-inspire-others-by-running-his-first-la-marathon

The Daily News/By Brenda Gazzar, Los Angeles Daily News Posted: 02/12/16, 4:39 PM PST

"WILMINGTON >> Lyptis Rubalcava wanted to run the Los Angeles Marathon after hearing from fellow classmates that it was "the best feeling in the world."

But little did the Phineas Banning High School junior know that training for Sunday's marathon with the San Fernando Valley-based Students Run LA would encourage him to reveal a guarded secret — that he identified as a male rather than the sex he was assigned at birth."

[rosinstraya]

Good luck to him!

[Lilian J]

Well done. Big Kudos to anyone who trains for such a distance and gives it a go. I got over taken by an 83 year old japanese lady on my first half marathon and felt so proud that I managed to catch her back up.

Going on HRT coincided with me getting serious about my running again as anxiety and depression kept making not want to do anything.
I am gradually building back up to both distance and speed and losing about 2 kg a month. Part of the enjoyment and peacefulness is running in a sports bra (actually needed as getting sensitive) and knowing it is getting rid off my masculine belly. I am looking forward to getting back to running in half and full marathons.

[suzifrommd]

These stories really bother me.

Do people think we're so inept, that when one of us does something that thousands of cis people do, it's such a shock that it makes the news?

I'm not sure whether this helps normalize and humanize us, or whether it reenforces the stereotype that all trans people do are prostitution or drag shows and that when one of us does anything else it's so rare as to be news.

[gennee]

I understand your point. Sadly, many buy into the hype that we're drag queens, prostitutes, and sexual deviants. The media doesn't because they help spread such perceptions. I'm happy for the young man because he wants to a positive influence on those around him.

[Deborah]

A first marathon is a big deal for anyone.  If it makes it even a bigger deal for him to feel like he's running for a cause then I'm all for it.


Sapere Aude

[stephaniec]

I'm sure it made him feel good having an article written about him and his purpose. People are written about all the time like a girl scout who puts down a bully, not an all changing international conundrum , just a good story about a girl who happened to be trans having her day in court.

[Lilian J]

I've actually thought about these sort of races as eventually I'd like to start competing in distance triathlons again and at that point I either enter as male and get funny looks in the changing tent or enter as female and have to provide blood test documentation for multiple years and get funny looks in the women's change tent. In reality all I want is to enter and get an official time and don't care where it is listed (usually broken down by age and gender) and for some reason female competitors are often separated into a different start group.

If the occasional trans athlete enters these events and the organizers actually sit and think about how to best accommodate them I think it can only be a good thing. 

I understand the frustration that comes when news media treats trans people as some kind of talking dog (Oh look it can even run a marathon) but I think this is a passing phase as mainstream media adapts and then starts ignoring us all again