Transathletes are under scrutiny more than ever. Some people have found a safe space through gymnastics

That includes being as comprehensive as possible for gender, but with little limitation.

For example, during a local NAIGC meeting, there are no gender categories. Athletes compete with all other athletes at designated skill levels. This can be done from beginner/development routines to things that NCAA department I cannot meet.

Gymnasts can jump on any device they want. Woman with parallel bars. Balance beam man. I’ll go almost anything. At its annual national conference, NAIGC may even offer “decathlons.” This allows athletes of all gender identity to compete against each other in all six-tenths of the fields.

“(We want to make sure people can continue gymnastics as adults in a way that makes them feel comfortable, safe and supportive,” said Irana Shushanki, NAIGC’s operations director.

A challenging climate

This approach has made it clear that trans athletes are increasingly targeted by heated rhetoric.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February to give federal agencies a wide latitude and ensure that federal funding entities are adhering to Title IX and working with the Trump administration’s views. A day later, the NCAA said it would limit competition in women’s sports to athletes assigned women at birth.

The message to the entire transgender community was clear. You do not belong here. Some trans and/or non-binary members of NAIGC felt that they were independently run, volunteer-led and not dependent on federal money to run.

Several trans-athletes who spoke with the Associated Press have pondered the decision to quit following last fall elections, and said they have sometimes discouraged them from feeling like an increasingly hostile environment towards the community.

No one did. Some were seen as giving power over some of who they were to someone else. Another pointed out that the social aspect of gymnastics and their sense of acceptance at home gyms is to maintain proper mental and emotional wellbeing.

“Part of my identity is as an athlete and I think I can do things that are strong and difficult,” said Wes Wes Weske, a non-binary and previously competed for Mechathlon. “I think (gymnastics) really helped my self-image and it was just an important part of understanding myself.”

Feeling normality

That sense of belonging was everywhere at the NAIGC national conference in early April. Over three days, more than 1,700 athletes, including dozens of people who registered their gender as “other,” have transformed the Convention Center Hall in downtown Pittsburgh into one that can best be described as a celebration.

It’s not just gymnastics. But diversity. and inclusion. It all looked, felt and heard like other massive competitions. After being stuck out, we had a toast from a corner. The roar from another corner encourages competitors to come back after falling.