Canada's Quinn Makes History as First Openly Trans and Non-Binary Athlete to Medal in Olympics

Quinn, who played soccer at Duke University and now plays for Washington's OL Reign, was the first openly transgender athlete to take the competition floor at the Summer Games

Quinn. Photo: Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty

Victory or not, Quinn has already made history before Canada's first gold medal match for women's soccer.

On Monday, the 25-year-old midfielder from Toronto, who played soccer at Duke University and now plays for Washington's OL Reign, became the first openly transgender and non-binary athlete to win an Olympic medal after Canada beat the USWNT.

And on Friday, the Canadians will play Sweden at Kashima Stadium in the final to determine who takes the gold and who wins the silver. This medal will be Quinn's second after winning a bronze at the 2016 Rio Games.

Quinn, who came out as transgender in September 2020 and uses the nonbinary pronouns they/them, was the first openly transgender athlete to take the competition floor at the Summer Games.

"I feel sad knowing there were Olympians before me unable to live their truth because of the world," Quinn shared in July. "I feel optimistic for change. Change in legislature. Changes in rules, structures, and mindsets."

The athlete added, "Mostly, I feel aware of the realities. Trans girls being banned from sports. Trans women facing discrimination and bias while trying to pursue their Olympic dreams."

Transgender athletes have been allowed to participate in the Olympics since 2004. More recently in the U.S., a slew of bills have been proposed seeking to ban trans athletes from school teams that align with their gender identity.

Opening up about "getting messages from young people saying they've never seen a trans person in sports before," Quinn told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. in August that "athletics is the most exciting part of my life. … If I can allow kids to play the sports they love, that's my legacy and that's what I'm here for."

With another medal at the Olympics, Quinn is even more of a role model. Like they said last September: "I want to be visible to queer folks who don't see people like them on their feed. I know it saved my life years ago. I want to challenge cis folks (if you don't know what cis means, that's probably you!!!) to be better allies. It's a process, and I know it won't be perfect, but if I can encourage you to start then it's something."

A record-breaking number of openly LGBTQ+ athletes have competed at this year's Summer Games, according to a report from Outsports, which stated a total of at least 182 athletes. That number is a significant jump from the 2016 Rio Games tally of 56 and the 2012 London Olympics total of 23.

To learn more about Team USA, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics now on NBC.