Patient Spotlight: Vicki's weightlifting journey
Our patients lives are so much more than their treatment plans, their lab results, and even their hormonal transitions. In this column, we spotlight stories from our patients that take place outside of their (virtual) clinician's office. We hope you enjoy!
Meet Vicki!
Our fall patient spotlight comes from Vicki, who tells us about her experiences in being a transwoman in weightlifting.
“I started lifting two and a half years ago, and socially transitioned three years ago. I started weightlifting after starting my transition right around the time I began taking estradiol. I only know weightlifting as a transwoman. I never did it before. At first it was a little awkward, but the second coach I have is very supportive. A big part of her mission as a coach is supporting everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, etc. She’s wonderful. I've competed in five or six different competitions. The first one that I did, before I met her, I competed with the men and that was very uncomfortable for me. After that I joined the women.
Being trans can be a tough thing to deal with, and the women I’ve met in weightlifting have been delightful.
I am very fit for a 55 year old but plenty of women are far stronger than me. For me, that feels reassuring. And the younger generation of women are absolutely outstanding. This has been a journey- I’m always careful not to compare myself. It’s been nice to have the support of my coach, she really pushed me to get my gender markers handled in the sport and not hold back. She’s been instrumental in my growth and to take more risks. One thing that’s really sad is our culture’s bias against strong and powerful women. There’s an easy trap in thinking the weaker we are, the more feminine we are. I think people underestimate how great it feels to be strong, and how strong women can become. The community of weightlifting overall is generally very friendly. I haven't run into many people that are ignorant or have a certain opinion in an overt way. I know there are many aspects of gender that are performative as someone transitioning later in life, some of that doesn’t come easy. That said, I try to simply be myself and not hold back.
”When asked about parting advice for trans or nonbinary individuals who may be nervous to join athletics, Vicki tells us, “Outside of the context of states that have actual laws against trans people joining sports, I would say that sports and athletics in general is such a wonderful thing to do for not only your health, but for a community. Being trans can be a tough thing to deal with, and the women I’ve met in weightlifting have been delightful. It’s a great thing to do for yourself. The benefits of weight training are really high, so I encourage people to push into athletics and to just give it a try- give people the benefit of the doubt. On my first competition with my new coach, a bunch of the girls from my club came down just to support me, they weren’t even competing. It was really amazing.
Thanks, Vicki - we wish you all the best in your (inspiring!) weightlifting journey.
True U Clinic is an online hormone therapy clinic that provides safe and medically supervised hormone therapy to the trans and non-binary community. We utilize modern day technology and the most up-to-date clinical practices. Our goal is to provide this service at an accessible price, all while treating our clients with compassion and respect.We are dedicated to providing a personalized experience and high-quality care through the convenience of virtual care. Get started with care for exactly who you are, wherever you are, today!
