Episode 3: What is Toxic Fitness Culture?

Explicit content warning

04/30/19 • 57 min

**Explicit Language**On this episode Candace and I unpack toxic fitness culture through a social justice lens. We name that fitness like many other oppressive systems is rooted in ableism and the belief that there are "good' and "bad" bodies (with the bad bodies needing to be cured or corrected and the onus being placed on the individual to do these things). Please remember your body is never wrong in the way it shows up. We discuss all the ways that toxic fitness is projected onto us under the guise of "health", "wellness" and "being fit". We talk about how mainstream fitness further stigmatizes fat folks and deems them unhealthy through medical myths and pseudo science. We break down the need to reclaim the word "fat" and put to rest the words "overweight" and "obesity" as both words pathologize fat which is a naturally occurring substance in the body and not inherently unhealthy. We talk about the faulty BMI being overused as a measurement of health...and so much more!You can find the show notes here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/df-podcast-3-26488578

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Episode 2: Meet Ilya founder of Decolonizing Fitness

**Explicit Content**In this episode I’m in the hot seat as I had the pleasure to be interviewed by my new co-host Candace Liger! I open up about how my medical transition (from assigned female at birth to now trans masculine) helped to spark my fitness journey. I also talk about how my work in the healthcare field and as a grass roots organizer shaped what is now known as Decolonizing Fitness. You’re in for a real treat!Rate Us on Itunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decolonizing-fitness/id1458360965

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Episode 4: The Attack on Gender Nonconformity in Athletics Pt. 1 (The Rant)

Podcast Episode 4: The Attack on Nonconformity in Athletics Pt. 1 (The Rant)*Explicit Language*I’m very excited to get into this episode because I’ve always wanted to unpack human variance especially how it shows up in relation to gender identity/expression. Visible differences in the human expression often cause people to be othered, discriminated against, pathologized, brutalized etc. Right now we are seeing the attack on human variance & non conformity in the world of women’s sports which is racist, sexist, transphobic and an overall gross violation of human rights. In particular this episode will highlight the stories of Caster Semenya & JayCee Cooper. Both Caster & JayCee have been thrusted into the spotlight and are helping to undo so dreadful policies that limit certain bodies (in particular trans and gender non conforming folks) from competing as their true selves in women’s sports. **Update** As of June 3, 2019 the Swiss Court temporarily suspends new IAAF rules per Caster Semenya's legal team. Therefore, Caster will not need to take testosterone-reducing medication to compete.Caster Semenya: is a South African Olympic track runner and two time gold medalist in the 800 meter. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a regulation that will require some female track athletes with naturally-elevated testosterone levels to lower those levels with drugs or surgery, if they want to compete in certain women's events on the international stage. JayCee Cooper: is a USA Powerlifter who was banned from competing in the Olympic Women’s Division because she identifies as a trans woman.Some additional subjects discussed in this Episode: **racism, gender essentialism and trans hatred in sports****Why are we targeting folks in sports who are already so deeply targeted in other areas of society?**Mack Beggs trans man wrestler high school student (forced to wrestle against women) was already medically transitioning. Texas sanctions women’s wrestling. 2016 Texas Policy determining gender based on birth certificates for sports in colleges.https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/25/transgender-wrestler-mack-beggs-wins-texas-girls-title**Andraya Yearwood trans femme youth athlete track Connecticut. https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/24/terry-miller-andraya-yearwood-transgender-sprinter/**Othering of trans women (trans women are women PERIOD!)There is no evidence to suggest that that trans are stealing anything. If you are good at the sport it is your athleticism which has nothing to do with the other athlete of their identity. **Why the mere existence of transwomen creates so much fear in society.**The conflation of body parts and gender**Sexist notion: that anyone assigned male at birth will automatically beat anyone assigned female at birth. **This informs how we discuss trans athletes, intersex athletes and women in general.**Testosterone not the “male sex hormone,” nor is it the key to athletic performance.**There is no such thing as *looking* transgender. **High profile female athletes (like Martina Navratilova) weaponize that notion and if gives more credence to the notion in the first place. It’s a false criticism of women’s sports in general. ***Notion of this influx of cis men posing as transwomen to gain unfair advantages in competitions. Also carries similar narratives to this fear of cis men posing as trans women taking over bathroom spaces. “In the US, there’s not a single reported instance of this kind of voyeurism occurring in states with legal protections for trans people.”https://www.vox.com/identities/2016/5/13/17938102/transgender-people-bathrooms-locker-rooms-schools