CeCé Telfer: Anti-transgender Rhetoric Has Become 'More in My Face' Since Trump’s Inauguration

CeCé Telfer: Navigating Challenges as a Transgender Athlete in America

As a transgender athlete, CeCé Telfer has long been accustomed to battling for acceptance, not only on the sports field but also in her daily life. However, in the wake of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, she says the challenges have become even more pronounced. Telfer, who is Black, a woman, transgender, and an athlete, describes her intersectional identity as being a “target,” especially in America, where issues of race, gender, and sexuality continue to be sources of division and conflict.

Six years ago, Telfer made history by becoming the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA title. She claimed victory in the Division II 400-meter hurdles event, an achievement that felt like a monumental milestone. But in the years since, her dreams of pursuing a career in track and field have been hampered by repeated setbacks. Now, with a restrictive climate for transgender athletes in sports, her aspirations of becoming an Olympian seem distant.

A major roadblock has been World Athletics' current policies that prevent Telfer from competing in women’s world rankings competitions. These rules have effectively sidelined her, forcing her to put her Olympic dreams on hold. Telfer’s struggles have intensified following the Trump administration's executive order banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports—a move that only adds to her sense of exclusion.

“I feel like a lot of the anti-trans rhetoric has become louder, more in my face,” Telfer explains. “Prior to this administration, I woke up every day and faced adversaries when I left my house. Now, I wake up every day and have to make sure that I make it home alive.” Telfer’s words reflect the heightened sense of danger and vulnerability many transgender individuals experience in today’s polarized climate.

Trump’s executive order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” is part of a broader effort by the former president’s administration to limit the rights of transgender people. In the first week of his second term, Trump also signed an order barring transgender individuals from serving in the military, which is currently being challenged in court by several transgender service members and prospective enlistees.

Despite these setbacks, Telfer remains resolute. “Policies and orders are not forever, but our resilience is,” she says. She stresses that she is open to a conversation with anyone, even President Trump himself, in hopes of fostering understanding. “I need some explanation as to why you want to completely eradicate us from society when we’ve done nothing wrong,” Telfer adds. “Think about the humanity and think about the younger kids like me who have doctors confirming their gender, who have people behind them to support them.”

In the wake of the executive order, the NCAA also revised its policy for transgender athletes, further complicating Telfer’s ability to compete. Under the new guidelines, athletes who are assigned female at birth and have begun hormone therapy can practice with women’s teams but are prohibited from competing in women’s events without risking their team’s eligibility for championships. This policy represents a significant tightening of the NCAA’s stance compared to its previous, more flexible approach that allowed a case-by-case review of transgender participation.

“I definitely felt as though they were pressured to make this decision,” Telfer says about the NCAA’s revised policy. “They won’t allow transgender female athletes to compete (in female categories); however, they will allow transgender female athletes to practice with their teams. That’s just a little bit contradictory in itself because you’re teasing us, you’re telling us that we’re allowed to practice, we’re allowed to feel like who we are, but when it comes to competition, we can’t do so.”

Further complicating matters, the Department of Education recently requested that the NCAA rescind titles held by transgender women in women’s sports, including Telfer’s 2019 400m hurdles victory. For Telfer, this effort to erase the accomplishments of transgender athletes is an affront to history. “That’s not how history works,” she says. “You can’t take back history.”

Despite the roadblocks, Telfer has not abandoned her dreams of competing at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, her hometown. However, that will require World Athletics to make significant changes to its policies concerning transgender athletes. “If there’s still a chance, even the slightest one in a million, there’s still that one chance, and I’m willing to take it,” Telfer says. “I’m ready, I’m willing, and I’m able. So if any coach out there is watching this, CeCé is ready and all she needs is that chance.”

For Telfer, the fight for inclusion and equality in sports—and in society at large—continues. Though the journey is fraught with challenges, her unwavering resolve to advocate for herself and the transgender community remains her guiding force.