Schuyler Bailar is an American athlete, author, educator, and advocate who made history as an openly transgender swimmer at Harvard University.
His story brought transgender male representation into an area where it was rarely seen: elite college sports.
Choosing to Compete as Himself
Bailar was already an accomplished swimmer when Harvard recruited him for its women's swimming team.
During a gap year before college, he came out as transgender and transitioned. That created a major decision about what his future in competitive swimming would look like.
Harvard's swimming coaches supported him and offered him the opportunity to swim on either the women's or men's team.
Bailar chose the men's team.
In 2015, he became the first openly transgender athlete to compete on an NCAA Division I men's team.
From Athlete to Public Speaker
Bailar's historic participation attracted national attention.
His story appeared in major media, and he began speaking publicly about gender, sports, inclusion, and his experiences as a transgender man.
His goal went beyond simply telling people about his transition. Bailar has spoken about helping audiences understand transgender people as complete human beings rather than stereotypes.
Becoming an Author
After graduating from Harvard in 2019, Bailar expanded his work into writing and education.
He wrote Obie Is Man Enough, a novel about a transgender middle-school swimmer. Bailar explained that he wanted young people like himself to be able to find characters who reflected their experiences.
He later wrote He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters, continuing his work as an educator on gender and transgender inclusion.
Why Schuyler Bailar's Story Matters
Schuyler Bailar did something powerful by continuing to pursue the sport he loved while openly living as a transgender man.
His story shows that being transgender does not erase someone's ambitions, abilities, interests, or achievements.
From the swimming pool at Harvard to books and public speaking, Bailar has continued using his experiences to encourage understanding and greater inclusion.
His place in NCAA history also gave transgender men greater visibility in sports and showed young trans athletes that people like them can belong in competitive athletics.