This talk explores the intersections of race and ethnicity and LGBT+ identities in sport.

This talk is based on Bonnie’s (see her bio below) latest article on Trans*, Female Bodybuilding, and Racial Equality published in Sport, Education, and Society. Transgender and sport have received limited coverage in the literature on gender and sexualities and even less when they intersect with race and ethnicity. In this talk, Bonnie will problematise how professional women bodybuilders are being constructed as objects that are expected to embody Whiteness and “authentic heightened femininity”. She will then unpack how the intersection of gender fluidity, race/ethnicity, and bodybuilding defy dominant understandings of what is aesthetically, experientially, and physically acceptable within the “norm” in both “Eastern” and “Western”, and masculine and feminine worlds. The discussion aims to provide implications to moving beyond the enduring binary gendered, racialized, and sexual assumptions in women sport.

As a Lead Champion for the Gay Games Hong Kong (2023) in the United Kingdom, Bonnie will also share her experiences of promoting this international sporting mega event in the UK and discuss the implications to diversity and inclusion where Chinese identities intersects with LGBT+ identities.