PulseExploreJournal ClubDebatesTrendingResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeExploreJournal ClubTrending
Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
September 28, 2025Sport Education and Society2 citationsOpen Access

‘Which barbell do you use now?' Exploring a transgender man’s embodiment through Olympic weightlifting

View Full Paper
AEAlexander EdmondsEBEmma Boocock

Key Points

  • Transgender men's participation in weightlifting is shaped by unique embodiment experiences, with ongoing medical transition influencing their engagement.
  • Data generated through journaling reflected challenges faced in sports participation due to gender identity, revealing personal insights on embodiment.
  • This autoethnographic approach utilized queer phenomenology to analyze the intricate relationship between identity and sporting contexts.
  • Future research should continue using autoethnography to enhance discussions on transgender inclusivity in sports environments.

Abstract

The aim of this autoethnographic study was to extend sociological understanding regarding the embodied experiences of transgender men within sport. This is investigated through an immersive autoethnographic exploration of my own experience of individual sporting contexts (particularly Weightlifting clubs, private gyms) and embodiment as a transgender man undergoing medical transition (masculinisation/hormone replacement therapy). Data were generated via journalling – freewriting, mapping out timelines, written reflection on new/old experiences – across five months. Ahmed's (2006) queer phenomenology was engaged with as an analytical framework for the data, discussing how my attempts to bracket my gender identity as it 'disrupted' my sporting participation were challenged throughout my ongoing participation. Future research may aim to continue the use of evocative data generation such as autoethnography to accelerate meaningful discussions regarding the potential for transgender and queer inclusion within sporting contexts.

Ask AI
Helpful
Bookmark
Share
View Full Paper

Cite This Study

Edmonds et al. (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68d913a34ddcf71ba560ba19https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2025.2563085
Ask AI
Helpful
Bookmark
Share
View Full Paper