aug 27, 1976 - Renee Richards- Diversity In Sports
Description:
Renee Richards was born Richard Raskin in 1934. She excelled at almost every sport that her high school offered (football, baseball, swimming, tennis, etc.). During university, she was studying to become a doctor. At the same time, she was playing competitive tennis and was ranked sixth in the males over 35 category. Later on, in life, she underwent sex reassignment surgery in 1974. After this, she started playing as Renee Richards, but in 1976 news leaked out about Renee’s sex change thus resulting her from getting kicked out of the women’s singles competition and banned from playing tennis. After a year of court appeals, she fought the ban and returned playing tennis in the women’s singles category. As a result of this Renee Richards was the first openly transgender female to play a professional sport.
Renee Richards demonstrates diversity as she was the first openly transgender female to play a professional sport. With the sports community being more open, understanding and willing to accept more transgender people it has opened up the LGBQT+ community of the things they can accomplish physically without being afraid to hide who they are. Just like when the first openly gay athlete, they were looked at to be wrong or disgusting and now most people are perfectly fine with the idea that people love who they are meant to love. Society keeps on changing for the better in terms of diversity in sports.
As a result of Renee Richards actions and her coming out publicly, it has changed biased and discriminatory rules to incorporate those that are apart of the LGBQT+ community. There is a lot of controversy over the LGBQT+ community and whether or not they should be treated and have the same rights and responsibilities as ‘normal’ people. With Renee Richards starting the idea of having transgender people play sports, I think it helps give those who don’t necessarily believe that transgender should be treated like everyone else a different view on how people in the LGBTQ+ community are the same as ‘normal’ people.
Added to timeline:
U2A1: Assignment 2 Timeline
1994- Andres Escobar (Violence in Sports)
1976- Renee Richar...
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