'We're just trying to be comfortable': Transgender athletes consider participation debate
On a cold Melbourne winter night, Em Fox braves the cold for a leg workout. Key points: Last month, FINA voted to limit the participation of transgender women in elite women’s competitions Dr Ada Cheung says the debate around transgender athletes is disproportionate to the perceived problem While some athletes are concerned about the impact of FINA’s policies, others are broadly supportive He is happy to be here because 10 years ago he thought he would never play again. “2012 was the last year I played in the men’s soccer competition,” he said. “I’ve always found playing in the men’s team challenging, even though I may have come across as an outwardly masculine identity. “It wasn’t how I felt, and being in a hyper-masculine environment was very uncomfortable. “So when I decided not to play football anymore I thought it would have a lot of finality.” She went on to become the first openly transgender woman in the women’s VFL. But tonight, she’s training with the University of Melbourne