Name: Tilda Sutter

Social Justice Group: Sports and Equality

Date of Fieldwork: November 27, 2017

Name of Organization:

Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Chris Mosier – Olympian

Type of Fieldwork: Interview

What I did:

We held a skype interview with transgender athlete Chris Mosier. He is a well-known runner and has advocated for equal rights for people who identify as transgender.

What I learned:

Chris Mosier taught me a lot about being a transgender athlete and told me about his personal experiences. When he first came out as transgender he was the only one in his school to ever come out. He said that one thing that made him feel accepted was if someone every referred to him as she, his friends would correct them. He also talked about how role models play a large part in having the confidence to come out as transgender. In addition, he said that more people claim they have a seen a ghost than know anyone transgender, and that is why sometimes it is so hard to feel accepted. He also talked about his personal experiences with his treatment as a transgender athlete in sports.

What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:

I learned that sometimes the only thing you need to do to make someone feel accepted is to use the correct language. But in many cases, one of the best things you can do is actually advocate for equality. Change clearly doesn’t happen overnight, but even talking to your school to make a difference. Because many people don’t believe they know anyone transgender, it’s sometimes difficult to help them care about the problem.