Welsh cyclist Emily Bridges, 19, came out as trans on National Coming Out Day with the hope her message will inspire other trans athletes. Bridges won a silver medal at the junior nationals at age 16 and continued on to compete in the world junior championships in the male cycling category, but said she felt like she ‘didn’t fit in’. She published an open letter in collaboration with Sky Sports, saying: “I’m a trans athlete. I’m writing this for Coming Out Day because I’m no longer comfortable with not being true to myself in all aspects of my life.”
She continued: “I’d also like to inspire people to be true to who they are, in and out of sport. If I can make even one young trans person feel less alone and more welcome in the sporting community, then I will have succeeded.” Bridges is no longer part of the Great Britain cycling team and is now at university where she says she is ‘living authentically’.
She believes that there is still a lack of LGBTQ+ inclusion in the sporting world, saying “in my view, cycling still has a long way to go to represent all types of diversity”, but hopes that sharing her story will improve the situation.
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