Swimming For TIQ+ People Discussion Panel

Join LEAP Sports Scotland, Scottish Swimming, Seahorses and activists from across Europe for this discussion panel on Trans, Intersex, Queer plus (TIQ+) people in swimming. As part of Festival Fortnight, this event will explore the issues faced by TIQ+ people in swimming and seek to identify areas for improvement. The discussion precedes the Seahorses One Mile Relay Gala, a trans including non-binary event for all abilities.

In 2015 LEAP Sports Scotland released a community consultation, Swimming in Glasgow for the Transgender Community The consultation found that many transgender people enjoyed swimming prior to their transition but that this was put on hold for a period through transition. For a large number of respondents, their break from swimming lasted a long time post transition, years long, with many never returning to the pool.

There are many barriers which can affect TIQ+ people’s participation in swimming. Barriers identified by the transgender participants in the community consultation included gender dysphoria, swimwear & binding and changing rooms. This panel will dive deeper into these and wider issues, with the objective of deconstructing the barriers and identifying areas for improvement. Scottish Swimming are also keen to find out how best to engage with trans communities in Scotland and will be attending this event to hear some direct views on this.

This event will feature participants of the European project Beyond2: Perspectives on hetero/homo normativity in sports (https://queersport.eu/projects/beyond2-perspectives-on-hetero-homo-normativity-in-sports/) and there will be opportunities for you to find out more about how you can contribute to that project including the chance to take part in an interview.

This event is open to TIQ+ people and their allies. Come along if you have an interest in the topic, whether you have something to say or just want to find out more. We hope to see you there!