Quinn, a Canadian footballer, will become the first openly transgender athlete to earn an Olympic gold on Friday, marking yet another watershed event for the marginalized in the Tokyo Games.
Quinn, who uses the pronouns “they” and “their” and goes under a single name, will compete in the women’s gold-medal match versus Sweden, ensuring a medal regardless of the outcome.
The 25-year-old has a long history with the Canadian team, having joined in 2014 and earned bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but only recently came out as transgender.
Quinn said at the time, “I wanted to be my real self in all spheres of my life, and one of those is being in a public space.”
“I was weary of getting misgendered and stuff like that, so that was one of the reasons for it.”
The appearance of transgender New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard has completely eclipsed the player’s pioneering significance at the Tokyo Games.
Hubbard, who became the first openly trans woman to compete in the Olympics on Monday, sparked a maelstrom of controversy over her look, according to the International Olympic Committee.
Critics claimed the New Zealander had physical advantages built into her body since she was a boy, making it unfair for her to compete against female-born weightlifters.
In a sporting sense, though, Hubbard’s Games debut was a letdown as she failed to finish a lift.
The 43-year-old, who was twice her competitors’ age and had not competed internationally since before the coronavirus outbreak, subsequently said she was “overwhelmed” by the attention.
Quinn’s sporting prowess is undeniable; the athlete is in her peak years as a defensive midfielder, and she lines up at club level against elite women’s stars like Megan Rapinoe of the United States.
