Activist and Advocate Schuyler Bailar on Identity and Authenticity

On October 15, students and faculty gathered in Smith Theater for a Hall featuring Schuyler Bailar, the first openly transgender athlete to compete in any sport at the NCAA Division I level. Schuyler swam for the Harvard men’s team from 2015 to 2019. Today, Schuyler is an educational speaker, bestselling author, and advocate for trans inclusion, the LGBTQ+ community, and mental health awareness. 

Throughout his talk, Schulyer spoke of his experience as a student, struggling with his gender identity on top of the standard trials and tribulations that come with growing up. He was navigating this period of his life while simultaneously maintaining a rigorous training regimen and swimming at a national level. Swimming was a constant and throughline in his life, but as he grew older and started to face his mental health struggles and gender dysphoria, the way he always envisioned his life and future became complicated. “When I figured out I was transgender, I was terrified I was going to lose swimming,” Schuyler explained. He recalled when he came out to the Harvard Women’s Swimming coach who had recruited him to swim for the women’s team, thinking, “Maybe I will lose everything I feel I am working toward. Do I want to take that risk?”

It was at this moment Schuyler knew he owed it to himself to live his life with authenticity and honesty, and he was offered the option to swim for the Harvard Men’s team. “I found myself in a moment of crossroads,” he said. He recalled feeling so afraid and genuinely unsure of how to literally and figuratively navigate uncharted waters. After initially turning down the offer, he spent time getting to know his potential teammates and thinking about the opportunity presented to him. “Maybe I need to take this risk for my happiness,” he realized. 

Schuyler went on to have a successful career at Harvard and continues to utilize his experience to foster honest and educational conversations with children and adults. When reflecting on the moments he came out to various friends and family, he noted how sometimes this was met with confusion and an inability to understand. He said, “I’m not asking you to understand; I am just asking you to trust me.” As Schuyler explained, if we spend too much time thinking about our differences, we forget to support one another and love.

At the opening of Hall, Dr. Schaffer introduced Schuyler and reminded the audience of the importance of sharing our stories: “Storytelling can help us both establish and share who we are. Story has the power to help us understand, to connect us, and, ultimately, to bring us together. This morning, Schuyler’s story of authenticity, bravery, and advocacy will remind us that we have more in common than we do in difference.”