Quinn: Canada’s transgender footballer on being ‘seen’ and enjoying on the Olympics

Quinn: Canada's transgender footballer on being 'visible' and playing at the Olympics

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An original version of this article was published in September 2020.

“When I was figuring out who I was, it was really scary and I didn’t really understand if I had a future in football, if I had a future in life.”

Quinn doesn’t like living in the spotlight. Yet as a professional athlete, it often comes with the territory.

But little provides a greater platform than sport, and despite being a self-proclaimed introvert, Quinn recognised the power of using that platform and of “being visible”.

And so, in September 2020, Quinn, a defender for Canada’s women’s football team, publicly came out as transgender.

“It’s really difficult when you don’t see people like yourself in the media or even around you or in your profession,”

Quinn told BBC Sport. “I was operating in the space of being a professional footballer and I wasn’t seeing people like me”.

Quinn, who has played 63 times for Canada, won Olympic bronze at Rio 2016, and will take…

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