Thread by @KirstiMiller30

6 Australian Trans woman were recognised as Australian GLBTIQ Trailblazers during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

The Trans woman were included as 6 of 24 in a landmark exhibition which recognised and celebrated the work of LGBTI groups & orgs in the 53 countries that make up the Commonwealth, to raise the visibility of LGBTI people and their lives during the Commonwealth Games and beyond.

The Australian GLBTIQ Trailblazers were selected as being a first in their field.

I was recognised as the first transitioned athlete to have represented Australia in Sport myself having been an Australian Modern Pentathlon and Aquathon International athlete having competed in many world championships and Pan American Games.

The thing that means most to me by being inducted in the Walk Of Fame is the recognition Broken Hill and Broken Hill Sport has gained by being an accepting place for gender diverse and transgender people.”
It was important to raise awareness on the issues facing trans people.

Unfortunately transphobia in sport is rife and still remains the greatest challenge for the transgender community, In Broken Hill there is full acceptance for transgender people both in sport and in the community unfortunately this isn’t the case everywhere else.

Hopefully the next generation will have it that little bit easier then I and others have experienced in sport.

I am confident any youngster that suffers gender issues in Broken Hill will be supported by the community as Broken Hill in 2022 judges people from the inside out not the outside in.

Australian Transgender Trailblazers

Kirsti Miller - Transitioned XY female

Triathlon/duathlon/modern pentathlon rugby league/AFL/prison warden

museumriverina.com.au/exhibitions/ha…

wagga.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/…

dailytelegraph.com.au/news/special-f…

Recommendation:

As Australia’s first transgender Australian representative pre transition at multiple world championships in Triathlon, duathlon and modern pentathlon Kirsti is a true pioneer.

Kirst was also a handy rugby league player - group 9 Country rugby league and she was the first transgender woman to play AFL in Broken Hill (post transition) in 2013.

Kirsti was discriminated and vilified against during a match in Broken Hill and was outed from the game for four years, even though there was never any ban, as clubs simply refused to register her.

She continues to advocate for transgender rights in Sport and she has been successful in educating people in Broken Hill about her own struggles playing sport.

Kirsti returned to the field during 2017.

Ricki Coughlan (Carne) - Track and field

Recommendation:

Ricki was a top 10 ranked 🇦🇺 open-aged athlete (800 metres) during the early 1990s.

Ricki was the first gender diverse athlete to face a media storm during that time over her right to compete and 2as the first athlete in 🇦🇺 to undertake gender testing in consultation with Athletics 🇦🇺.

She was cleared to compete, after the testing revealed she had no advantage over xx females.

Ricki has hypogonadism and as her classmates underwent puberty, her hypogonadism condition stopped her from masculinising and Ricki required medical help to transition into female adulthood.

Ricki is on the advisory board for the Aids Council of NSW (ACON).

Martine Delaney - Football/Federal Greens candidate for seat of Franklin

theage.com.au/articles/2005/…

themercury.com.au/news/politics/…

Recommendation:

Martine was the first out transgender footballer (soccer) to play in 🇦🇺 during 2005.

Martine played level one football in Tasmania as both a male (pre transition) and female athlete (post transition) and she is also a transgender activist who was the Greens endorsed candidate during the 2016 federal election.

Michelle Diamond - AFL umpire/advocate

starobserver.com.au/news/sport/tra…

Recommendation:

Michelle became the first transgender woman to umpire a VFL Victorian Amateur Football Association match between the University Blues and Parkdale Vultures in 2014.

Michelle advocates for more inclusion for transgender people in sports, as it sadly lags behind the work being done for gay and lesbian rights in sport.

Hannah Mouncey - Handball/AFL

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Mo…

Recommendation:

Hannah played for the Australian men’s handball team before transitioning in 2015.

Interest from several AFL clubs ensured her nomination for the 2017 AFLW draft. The AFL refused her nomination due to concerns about her “strength and size”.

Somewhat bemused, Hannah was told she could continue to play in the local amateur Canberra AFL League for Ainslie.

Hannah has since released her autobiography called Valkyrja about her experiences with the AFLW draft and has set-up a public speaking business called Transform Coaching and Speaking.

Caroline Layt - Rugby League/Union/Track and Field/Journalism

canberratimes.com.au/sport/act-spor…

dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/sexch…

insidesport.com.au/author/carolin…

Recommendation:

Caroline briefly played Shute shield rugby union for Eastern Suburbs pre transition (1986).

Post transition she is the first transgender woman to play rugby union/league and she represented Sydney in women’s rugby union (2004-08 - winning four national titles) and NSW in women’s state of origin rugby league 2007-08 post transition.

Caroline was a nominated finalist Sydney Morning Herald women’s rugby awards 2004.

When her trans status became known during the 2005 rugby season she had to show cause to Sydney Women’s Rugby Union and Rugby 🇦🇺 as to why she should not be banned from playing women’s rugby.

Fortunately Caroline had successfully undertaken gender tests in consultation with Athletics NSW (2003) and IOC guidelines at the time and was cleared to play on.

She has won multiple medals at world masters athletics championships as a sprinter and thrower and she now writes for Inside Sport and is undertaking her bachelor after completing her diploma of journalism at Macleay College in 2017.
End

@threadreaderapp please unroll