Crossroads: Working Through Pressure as an LGBTQ Athlete

Lia Thomas made history as the first trans woman to win an NCAA Division I championship, albeit not without backlash. While LGBTQ athletes deserve the same visibility Thomas is getting during 2022’s collegiate swimming season, they don’t have to win championships to get it. The journey to being an LGBTQ athlete who has publicly come out is unique to each person. However, the biggest indicator of finding success might be different than what you’re expecting it to be.

Participating in sports at any level requires a certain amount of training and mental fortitude. Whether that be in a team sport or an individual sport, preparation is everything. But, that prep isn’t simply lifting weights or running drills. Instead, it’s dealing with the pressure to perform from within, to prove something to everyone else.

Recognizing who Determines the Outcome

For runner Nicholas Turco, there was that pressure to prove that a gay runner could be fast or strong, that they belonged. However, at a certain point, there was an important shift that changed things for the Western Colorado/CU runner.

“Even after I came out, I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Turco says. “When my journey of letting that go, and realizing that the point of sports for me was to do the thing I loved more than anything in the world, that’s when it all clicked for me, and I started finding my flow as an athlete.”

Turco realized how important it was to get back to the root of why he runs. It might sound simple. Supposedly one might not lose sight of that when participating in something they love, but working through one’s journey of coming out clearly adds to life’s other pressures. Part of how someone finds that moment that things click relies on those surrounding them.

Having a support system is vital. For CU volleyball player Alexia Kuehl, that support helped them to feel comfortable with their decision to come out. 

“It was a little bit of stress personally just trying to figure out myself and who I am,” Kuehl says. “Being surrounded by such open minds and accepting people made it easy for me.”

From what Kuehl has shared, thankfully, the volleyball, CU, and Boulder communities have been fairly accepting. There are, of course, going to be times when support isn’t there. But, across different sporting communities, these athletes still find support. The biggest support system also begins with oneself. 

For those still working through their own journeys with their identities, Nicholas Turco had this to share with those athletes. 

“Sometimes it can be hard to find yourself exactly out there in the world, but just trust that you do belong out there, and all the different versions of yourself; just trust that journey of finding yourself in all these different ways.”

Support Systems are Crucial

It’s important that different athletes in different sports have a solid support system around them. However, many LGBTQ athletes don’t have that. The worst part about having to deal with the personal and athletic challenges one faces when working through their journey is how this conversation is currently being framed at a societal level.

Numerous states across the nation are introducing and passing legislation that disallows trans athletes to participate in sports as under their correct gender. This guise of “protecting” the competition (often framed as “protecting” cisgender women) has been the rallying cry for those opposed to the inclusion of trans athletes. 

This adds to the pressure one already puts on themselves due to wherever one is in their personal journey with deciding to come out. Fortunately, at the collegiate level, the NCAA has recently worked to not prevent any athlete from competing. The Transgender Student-Athlete Participation Policy outlines expectations for transgender athletes. Testing policies surrounding testosterone are outlined as it’s implemented, and athletes are expected to follow sports specific guidelines in addition to the policy. 

This policy is what athletes like Lia Thomas, Iszac Henig, and others have been following during 2022’s NCAA championships. Imagining the mental fortitude it takes to make it to a college tournament as a 18-23-year-old isn’t something most of us have experienced; adding these policies and public scrutiny adds yet another layer. There’s been some growth in sports when it comes to accepting LGTBQ competitors. However, there’s still a long way to go to accepting everyone in this community