The New York Marathon opens the third category for non-binary people

First modification: 03/11/2022 – 13:30Last edit: 11/03/2022 – 13:29

It is not the first marathon run by this long-distance racing enthusiast, who has already finished the premier category in less than three hours.

“I was running in the men’s category,” explains Nick, a professional dancer before becoming an acupuncturist. “I was born a boy and identified as such for years.”

“But after (in January) I declared myself non-binary, I felt discomfort, confusion when there were only men or women” among the options proposed by the race organizers.

“What to choose? They are both at the same time, but neither.”

After dance and gymnastics, as an adult, Nick started running. “I was stressed out of this toxic male energy” in this environment. “I was afraid of not being in my place.”

According to a study by UCLA’s Williams Institute research center published in June 2021, approximately 1.2 million people identify as non-binary in the United States.

Singers Sam Smith and Demi Lovato, or Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana in “The Crown” series, are the best known cases who have adopted this terminology.

According to a list compiled by activist Jake Fedorowski, more than 200 sporting events in the United States now feature three different categories.

“For someone who does not identify as male or female, not having an alternative creates a mental barrier, one more obstacle to be able to participate fully” in the race, explains Kerin Hempel, director of the New York Road Runners Association, which organizes the marathon. of New York, the first to take this step.

“A release”

From 16 first-year runners in 2021, the category has grown to more than 60 this year in New York. Other major events on the calendar, from Boston to London, have followed suit.

“This was a release,” says Jake Caswell, a 25-year-old non-binary clinical analyst who was one of the top athletes in the US collegiate championship with the Columbia University colors.

“A space is being created that has never existed before.”

Jake, who uses the pronoun “them”, which translates to “elle” in Spanish, remembers the “super feeling” that crossed the finish line of his first race as a non-binary earlier in the year. “Nobody knew,” he says.

Eager to stay ahead, the New York Marathon innovated by awarding the new category this year with $ 5,000 for the winner.

Nancy Hogshead-Makar of the ChampionWomen association sees the creation of new categories as the possibility that other “competitors who have a male sporting advantage”, as in the case of transgender athletes, will not end up competing with women, as has happened recently.

Hogshead-Makar is part of a movement that calls for limiting transgender athletes without hormonal or pubertal benefits from ending up in women’s competitions, which is criticized by some members of the LGBTQ community.

After transgender swimmer Lia Thomas won a college degree in the United States in March, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) banned any participant who would have passed the age of 12 from women’s competitions.

The issue is highly controversial and several states have passed laws to ban transgender athletes from participating in youth competitions.

So far, reactions to the creation of a non-binary category have mostly been very positive, despite a few weeks ago Jake was booed by a spectator during a test on Staten Island, New York.

“Not everyone agrees and some want to say it loud and clear.”

“I have read comments on the internet” criticizing the initiative, says Nick Dill. “It’s all related to the lack of education and knowledge. As it becomes more visible, I imagine it will be more accepted.”

According to Nick, the resistance comes from older people, even within the LGBTQ community, “who are somewhat limited in this world where everything is black and white, even if non-binary is a gray space.”

For Nick, more than a competition, the New York Marathon will be a “celebration”. “We are all there to support each other.”

© 2022 AFP