18. Juniper Eastwood as the First and Only Out Transgender NCAA D1 Runner

Triple Knot

This episode was recorded at the end of May and I just didn’t get to it out until now. The conversation around gender in sport feels particularly relevant after the recent Caster Semenya ruling which you can read or listen more about here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/sports/olympics/caster-semenya-court-ruling.html and https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/case-caster-why-principle-trumped-bad-evidence-her/id1461719225?i=1000491007047and sign the petition (I was trying to find tangible ways to support Semenya) here: http://chng.it/KRQCkDJmys

In this episode, Juniper discusses:

• How she got her start as a runner
• Feeling like she couldn’t be “both a transgendered person in a small rural town and also an athlete”
• Running as her entire identity, being “distant,” and living a dual-reality
• Parental pressure
• College decisions, aspirations, scholarship considerations, and trying to build the Montana dynasty
• Battling an injury and having the identity of running taken away leading to mental health challenges and the ultimate need to develop an identity outside of running
• Coming out to teammates and coaches
• Taking a year off of competing for hormone treatment
• Pressure and hype around return to competition
• Media, journalists, and who she let tell her story
• Backlash and opposition to progress
• Proudest moments and memories at Montana, COVID-19 ending her collegiate career early
• A sneak peak at June’s future pursuits in trail running and environmental philosophy

For more on Juniper’s story check out this video: https://www.spokesman.com/video/2019/sep/27/junes-run-transgender-montana-athlete-driven-succe/and this Dyestat article: https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=584586