RAPINOE AND GOMEZ

Megan Rapinoe is well known... both on and off the soccer pitch. The legendary women's footballer, will play her last ever World Cup this summer in Australia and New Zealand, after announcing her retirement last week. She has been a huge advocate for transgender rights in recent times. The topic of transgender athletes' inclusion in women's sport is certainly a divisive one. It's a topic that has been shrouded in debate and controversy over the past months and years and is something that is close to Rapinoe's heart. The striker, who has become somewhat of an icon for her activism and never-say-die attitude, has continuously spoken out in favor of the inclusion of transgender athletes in sport.  The story below illustrates Rapinoe's keeness to support her sporting colleagues.

Mara Gómez was born and raised in La Plata, with her mother and 4 younger siblings, in a happy but poor home. Gómez started playing football outside of her home, on the streets. She found football to be therapeutic in her struggles: “There was a mound of emotions that were making me psychologically unwell, I realized that when I played football this mound disappeared”.  She started questioning her sexuality and her identity as female, as early as 10 years old. This was a result of her being attracted to boys and wanting to seem like a woman. As a 13-year-old, she came forward and identified herself as a female. The choice of her own identity came with criticism and challenges. This especially happened during her career and time at the local football clubs in Buenos Aires.

At 22 years old, she became the first trans-sexual to receive a contract with a professional football team. She made her debut at the Argentinian national team on the 5th December 2020.

She has received criticism, as many believe that it is unfair that as a transgender she got the right to play for a women’s team. Mara has gone against all the critics and made her official debut for the club, Villa San Carlos, in a winning match against Club Athletic Lanos. 

San Carlos is in the coastal city of Berisso (South-west of the capital Buenos Aires) and is part of the Argentine Premier Soccer league. 

Before she could play, she had to convince the Argentine Football Association that she didn’t have a competitive advantage as a transgender woman. Part of that process included providing blood samples to prove her testosterone levels were on par with the International Olympic Committee’s guidelines for transgender athletes. 

In December, the AFA finally announced it would permit Gomez to play, though she would be required to take hormone blockers and have her testosterone levels tested before and in the middle of each tournament, per the International Olympic Committee’s guidelines.

As the first transsexual woman in Argentinian football, she has given hope to others with the same dream. Football is a gathering place, where all should be welcome regardless of identity or dreams. Mara Gómez exemplifies a future of football without boundaries. She stated, “We have to continue changing society, so we are seen as people.”

Many believe that Mara Gómez has a physical advantage and therefore should not compete in women’s football. But Gómez has worked hard to achieve what she has now and has always felt like a woman. This has led to the decision by the football authorities to allow her to play. Mara’s success in the world of football shows that it is possible to push the boundaries of acceptance and thus challenge our perceptions of the world.

Her case can be used by educators to explore inclusion from various points of view, that of Mara’s, of team mates, of opponents, fans and football authorities.