Degree Year

2024

Document Type

Thesis - Oberlin Community Only

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Sociology

Advisor(s)

Daphne John
Alicia Smith-Tran

Committee Member(s)

Christie Parris
Greggor Mattson
David Feldman
Kelley Tabbutt

Keywords

Transgender athletes, Autoethnography

Abstract

Over the past 10 years, the rise in visibility and representation of transgender athletes in collegiate and professional sport has increased public discussion and debate on the validity of these athletes existing in binary spaces. With this in mind, the scholarship on trans athletes competing in sport is growing, but lacks in-depth narratives of trans and gender non-conforming collegiate athletes. My study aims to respond to three research questions: 1) How do societal factors impact the experiences of Trans Athletes at Division III colleges and universities? 2) How is Oberlin a case study of an accepting Trans athletic community? And 3) What factors shape the experiences of Trans athletes at Division III colleges in Ohio? I interviewed six trans and gender non-conforming student-athletes at Oberlin to learn more about their experiences. This paper focuses on preliminary themes that emerged related to acceptance and exclusion. My respondents also speak to managing how they are perceived while competing on their home campus and traveling to conference opponents within and outside of Ohio.

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