ON TRANS PRIDE, RESILIENCE AND COMMUNITY IN CLIMBING
HE TEA I SIPPED FELT ESPECIALLY COMFORTING WHILE I BURIED MYSELF DEEPER INTO THE LOUNGE ONE EARLY LOCKDOWN MORNING, AS I FIRED UP A ZOOM CALL WITH A SMALL GROUP OF LOCAL TRANS CLIMBERS. WE KICKED OFF BY CHECKING IN ON HOW WE WERE FEELING AMIDST THE CRUX OF THE NAARM/MELBOURNE LOCKDOWN, WHILE EAGERLY AWAITING LOR SABOURIN (THEY/THEM) TO JOIN THE CALL. THEY APPEARED ON SCREEN ALL SMILES TO SPEAK ON THE IMPORTANCE OF FINDING JOY IN OUR BODIES AND CREATING SPACE FOR OUR OWN VISIBILITY IN A SPORT WHERE TRANS ATHLETES AND MENTORS ARE HARD TO FIND. THEIR PASSION AND WISDOM INJECTED A MUCH NEEDED SENSE OF HOPE AND INSPIRATION INTO OUR COMMUNITY, WHILE ANY FORM OF CLIMBING REMAINED UNAVAILABLE AS THE LOCKDOWN STRETCHED ON.
