Today is the first day of Pride Month, yet, as we kick off this month-long celebration designed to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community, we continue to see many states introducing harmful legislation aimed at preventing transgender youth from participating in sports. At NRPA, it’s our position that being recognized as the gender with which you identify is a basic human right. Meaning that for the purposes of recreational sports, youth should be allowed to participate in the gender with which they identify. Last month, NRPA published guidance to empower park and recreation professionals to build more inclusive sport environments that welcome all youth into programming. Today we look forward to building on this guidance through a conversation with someone who is doing incredible work in this space.  

We are thrilled to welcome Chris Mosier (he/him) to the podcast today. Chris is a trailblazing athlete, coach and the founder of TransAthlete.com. He is a six-time member of Team USA, and in 2015 he became the first openly transgender man to represent the United States in international competition. He was the catalyst for change for the International Olympic Committee policy on transgender athletes and has been called “the man who changed the Olympics” by the BBC and New York Magazine. He is also a two-time National Champion and the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Trials in any sport in a category different than their sex assigned at birth. Chris is a go-to source for policy and information on transgender inclusion in sports, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the show today.

Tune in to the full episode below to learn more about Chris’s story, what all of these ‘firsts’ mean to him, and why his motto is, “Be who you needed when you were younger.” You’ll also learn:

• How we can apply the same principles used in changing the International Olympic Committee’s policy on trans athletes for adult and youth recreational sports.
• Why Chris started Transathlete.com, a resource for students, athletes, coaches and administrators about trans inclusion in athletics.
• What advice he would give to park and recreation professionals trying to create cultures of inclusion in their communities where everyone can thrive.
• How to take action against recently proposed bills in many states that would prevent transgender youth from participating in sports.
• Why we need to consider people and our facilities when implementing more inclusive policies.
• What Chris has planned for Pride Month, and more!

Additional resources:

• Transathlete website
• Transathlete action items (to see state bills and take action)
• Follow Chris on Instagram
• Follow Chris on Twitter
• Chris Mosier's website
• NRPA: Supporting Transgender Inclusion in Youth Sports
• NRPA Webinar: Transgender Inclusion in Sports: 101 (taking place June 17, 2021 at 3 p.m. EDT)