The Outfield - Keelin Godsey Has a Hammer
Monday, 03 January 2011 11:14
Written by Dan Woog
http://www.southfloridagaynews.com/life-and-style/sports/2826-the-outfield-keelin-godsey-has-a-hammer.html (http://www.southfloridagaynews.com/life-and-style/sports/2826-the-outfield-keelin-godsey-has-a-hammer.html)
As a high school student in Palmer, Colo., Keelin Godsey dabbled in track's throwing events. Shot put and discus were OK; soccer, basketball and softball were much more interesting.
Heading east to college, Keelin planned to play basketball. But Maine's Bates College offered a strong track and field program, and Keelin suddenly found enjoyment in throwing.
Bates helped Keelin discover something else: "My sexuality had always been undefined. I'd just felt wrong. I'd read about lesbian history, but that was all I knew." A freshman seminar introduced Keelin to the concept of "transgender." Books by Leslie Feinberg and Kate Bornstein helped Keelin figure out that a binary definition of sexuality does not work for everyone.
"I'd always been classified as a butch lesbian," says Keelin. "I hated that. I never thought of myself that way." It was harder for Keelin to identify as lesbian than as transgender.