Theme: Trans Inclusion in Athletics

This year we will have a dialogue around including transgender and non-binary individuals into binary sports. Recent policies currently discouraged transgender and non-binary individuals from participating in certain sports and their teams because of guidelines around including transitioning individuals. This dialogue will encourage current athletes and attendees to have challenging conversations to come up with possible solutions on how we can encourage transgender and non-binary individuals to participate in sports and take action to change exclusive policies.

Our Keynote speaker this year will be Chris Mosier. Chris Mosier is the first known transgender man to make a men’s US National Team. Heis a Hall of Fame triathlete, All-American Duathlete and a 5-time member of Team USA. As an advocate, he works with LGBTQ sports leagues to improve transgender inclusion and has spoken about his experience as a transgender athlete, athlete activism and creating more inclusive spaces.

The Allen Holmes Diversity Symposium is an institutional event, which occurs annually during the Fall or Spring semesters. Each year, the symposium has a different topic in relation to diversity and athletics that is relevant to current conversations, issues, or trends occurring locally and nationally. The symposium planning committee discussed potential keynote speakers who are experts on the topic to bring to campus and engage the audience in conversations they normally would not experience in or outside of the classroom.