Ep. 12: Trans/Athletes - Cillian Mullen and Liam Miranda

Cillian Mullen, a 16-year old trans high school joins graduate student and former D1 transgender rower Liam Miranda, to talk inclusion, courage, and supportive coaches and teammates.

Cillian Mullen, a 16-year old trans high school joins graduate student and former D1 transgender rower Liam Miranda, to talk inclusion, courage, and supportive coaches and teammates.


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TIME STAMPS:
00:00 - Intro
05:30 - Trans terminology, communication best practices
18:50 - Cillian and Liam’s back stories
26:05 - Boathouse culture, being voices for trans rowers
41:37 - Working on rowing technique
47:30 - Transgender Rowing Association


In the past few years it’s become clear that boat clubs and organizations that have historically catered to binary athletes, are struggling to put out a welcome mat for trans, and gender non-conforming athletes. Scholastic, collegiate, and masters programs – along with USRowing – are slowly adopting new policies and opportunities for trans rowers, but there’s a lot to learn and a long way to go.

Liam Miranda is a former Division 1 transgender rower. He studies the intersection of access to athletics and physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and has published various reports and policy reviews relating to LGBTQIA inclusion in sports. Liam has also extensively presented research as it pertains to transgender inclusion in sports for diverse audiences, including athletic leaders, policy-makers, advocates, and health professionals. He is a current graduate student at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy and a Sports Inclusion Researcher at Inclusion Playbook.

Cillian Mullen is a junior at Batavia High School and a member of Chicago Rowing Foundation’s women’s varsity squad. We found Cillian on instagram, where he recently launched the tra.united account with a vision for establishing the non-profit Transgender Rowers Association in 2021.


GUESTS:

DEEP DIVE:


EpISODE 12 Mentions:

Created & Produced by: Rachel Freedman & Tara Morgan
Hosted by: Rachel Freedman & Tara Morgan
Edited by: Tara Morgan
Website & Social Media by: Rachel Freedman

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Ep. 13: How Rowing Helped Me Take Control of My Anxiety and PTSD

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Episode 11: Changemakers