Nonbinary Action Sports Pros

This past week was Nonbinary Awareness Week so I wanted to shout-out the enby (short for nonbinary since NB already stands for “non-Black [person of color]”) pros in the action sports world. Nonbinary individuals identify as being not just strictly “male” or “female”. If you want to learn more, check out the answer to the first question in this article. if you’re here to hate, you can leave because I’m nonbinary and will not tolerate transphobia. Also, I’m a scientist working in neuroscience with a background in genetics so don’t even try to pretend you know biology.

Photo from the519.org

Undoubtedly, the most well-known nonbinary action sports athlete is Leo Baker (he/they), thanks to a cameo in a Miley Cyrus music video and the Netflix documentary, Stay On Board: the Leo Baker Story. I’ve previously talked about the film, which reveals the frustration and stress in trying to conform oneself into the gendered categories of competitive sports. While Leo chose himself over the Olympics, fellow skater Alana Smith (they/them) continued their competitive journey and used the exposure to assert their identity.

Alana’s teammate, Alexis Sablone, explicitly did not identify as nonbinary or use they/them pronouns two years ago, but their Instagram now shows “they/she” pronouns. I add them here with the caveat that they have only identified as queer and don’t like the definitive nature of labels of both the gendered and gender nonconforming variety. To round out this list of skateboarders, we have several members of There Skateboards’ “Gay Team” who are enby: Jessyka Bailey, Sam Bolton, Chandler Burton, Kien Caples, Shag, and Kat Sy. Check them out in the groundbreaking film, Ruining Skateboarding.

On two wheels (although they also participate in board sports), we have Benny Gonzales. Last year, they made history with Subrosa and The Shadow Conspiracy, as the first nonbinary BMX rider with a sponsorship. They also released a sick edit titled “Nonbikenary”.

Finally, there’s snowboarder Alexis “Lex” Hernandez-Roland, who has demonstrated various aspects of their gender identity in Pink Dollar Possy’s Out at Sea. They’re also a friend, and we got take our enby gang at Dew Tour earlier this year.

I’m wearing my “No Gender, Only Fluffy” sweater from Paws of Pride.

Queer Recognition for Leo Baker and Gus Kenworthy

Even though Leo Baker and Gus Kenworthy have moved on from competing in their respective sports, they forces to be reckoned with. If anything, they’ve become more recognizable beyond action sports, particularly in the queer community. In addition to promoting inclusive products and initiatives, like Calvin Klein’s genderless fragrance and the #YouTubePrideChallenge (and of course Leo has his own company Glue Skateboards), their desire to speak and live out their truth as queer individuals has led to recognition.

In July, Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story premiered at the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival where it received the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film, which tracks Leo’s journey as a transmasculine nonbinary in the gendered world of competitive skateboarding, was then released on Netflix and has continued to receive high praise. I watched it, and it made me realize how much Leo has sacrificed for his career and how much work skateboarding needs to do.

I was shocked to learn that Gus Kenworthy was in Dallas recently. He made the trip here for the 41st annual DFW Black Tie Dinner, which is one of the largest LGBTQ fundraisers in the U.S. The event has drawn prominent queer advocates like Dr. Maya Angelou, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Porter, and many more. Gus was awarded the Elizabeth Birch Equality Award, and while in town, The Dallas Voice interviewed him about post-competition life and his views on what the Olympics can do to address human rights issues.

Photo from the Black Tie Dinner

Congratulations to both Leo and Gus for getting recognized while living their truth, and as a fellow queer, I really appreciate for everything both of y’all have done!

Chelsea Wolfe becomes first trans BMX champion

Two days after Transgender Day of Visibility, freestyle BMX got its first trans champion. Chelsea Wolfe, who was the first transgender member of Team U.S.A. in the 2020 Olympics, won the UCI Elite Women’s division of Round 3 of the 2022 USA BMX Freestyle Series. The location and timing of this momentous event makes this a big deal that I’m surprised has not been covered elsewhere.

The competition took place in Longview, Texas. Over 200 miles away in Austin, transgender Texans and their allies were protesting the governor’s mandate that equated gender-affirming medical care for youth to child abuse. Although my visit to Longview was extremely pleasant (I also “pass” as a cisgender woman), some of my queer friends who grew up there faced harassment and even threats as teenagers. Chelsea made a statement on Instagram and used some of her contest winnings to the ACLU of Texas.

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A post shared by Chelsea Andrea Wolfe (@chelseawolfebmx)

In addition to the event being so close to Transgender Day of Visibility, which was created to highlight the discrimination trans people experience while also celebrating moments of joy despite it, the topic of transgender athletes has become quite a hot button issue. UCI itself barred track cyclist Emily Bridges from racing in the women’s division of the British National Omnium Championship. They claimed that while she met the physiological requirements, she was still registered as a man. Although freestyle BMX is a different world than racing and Chelsea has been competing in women’s events for years, UCI’s decision opens the door for discrimination against trans athletes.

Therefore, Chelsea winning as her “full authentic self” in a UCI C1 event in Texas is a huge triumph for trans people in the action sports community. We’re always talking about how we’re different from traditional sports because it doesn’t matter who is out there skating or riding. We can follow up by celebrating these moments of queer joy and historic accomplishments so major congratulations to Chelsea Wolfe. I can’t wait to see you continue to kill it in future events!

Chelsea in the 2021 UCI World Championships in Montpellier, where she placed 5th. Photo by The Agency