Canadian football star Quinn will be world’s first out trans Olympic medalist
The 26-year-old is due to make history on Friday in the women's football gold medal match.
Words: Alastair James; picture: Instagram/@thequinny5
Update 6/8/2021: Canada’s victory over Sweden in the Olmypic women’s football final means Quinn has become the first transgender athlete in history to win an Olympic gold medal.
Canadian footballer Quinn (just Quinn) is guaranteed to become this transgender medallist in Olympics history, after their team’s 1-0 win over the United States on Monday (2 August)
Canada will go up against Sweden for the gold medal in Friday’s final (6 August), meaning they are bound to at least win silver. The team won bronze in the Rio 2016 Olympics.
It will also be the first time a Canadian women’s football team appears in the finals at the Olympics.
“I’m doing this for the people I grew up looking up to”
Speaking to the Canadian broadcaster CBC, following their team’s win over the US, Quinn said: “I’m so proud of my team. They’re my best friends. I’m so glad we’re bringing back a better medal than bronze,” adding, “I’m doing this for the people I grew up looking up to. Like Sincy.”
Quinn came out as trans and non-binary in an Instagram post in September 2020. They said they wanted to be “visible to queer folks who don’t see people like them on their feed,” acknowledging how it helped them seeing people like themselves online.
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Quinn made history at the start of the Tokyo 2020 by becoming being the first trans athlete to compete at an Olympic Games. They posted about the significance on Instagram saying they felt “proud”, but that they felt sad “knowing there were Olympians before me unable to live their truth because of the world.
They went on to say that they were “optimistic for change”, adding: “Change in legislature. Changes in rules, structures, and mindsets.”
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A record number of out LGBTQ athletes are taking part in the Olympics this year, with Outsports reporting that at least 179 are competing. Outsports also reports that if all the LGBTQ athletes competed as a nation, they would currently be in 8th place in the medal table.
Best of luck to Quinn ahead of Friday’s final!
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