Quinn from Canada (left) plays at the FIFA Women’s World Cup
A non-binary Footballer has just played in the fifa world cup, a historic first for the tournament.
Canada’s Midfielder Quinn came out in September 2020 asking to only be known by a mononym, a one-word name using the pronouns “they/them”.
And on Tuesday, they played midfield in their country’s opening game against Canada Nigeria at the 2023 FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Quinn stayed on the pitch for the full 90 minutes despite the game ending goalless.
Despite this, Quinn’s presence meant it was still a historic game as they were the first openly transgender and non-binary athletes to compete during the tournament.
This is particularly significant given the ongoing excitement surrounding transgender people in competitive sports.
Take British cycling for example blocked Trans women and non-binary women will not be allowed to compete in elite women’s competitions until May.
Before the World Cup Quinn narrated Streets of Toronto: “As a transgender athlete, it was difficult to see my place in the sport and to see that I belonged.
“And the same goes for cisgender girls mastering their experiences. We have a male-dominated sporting culture in North America and they deserve a place in this sport.”
They added: “Having role models in the sport is so important for young football players. Seeing the women’s national team and fortunately being able to interact with some of them was hugely important for me to understand that there is a path for me.”
Canadian freelance journalist Har Johal spoke about Quinn’s involvement with the World Cup team: said BBC Sport: “It’s groundbreaking, historical. It shows people who watch sports that you can be non-binary and still play amazing sports.
“Quinn is a great footballer and a great person. Happy and content, that’s all you want to be as a professional athlete to do your best.”
Quinn also helped Canada secure Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021, becoming the first non-binary, non-transgender athlete to win such a medal.
They were excited advocate for trans rights in sport and offers one-on-one mentoring for 13-17 year old girls and gender-biased soccer players.
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