For many trans and nonbinary athletes, sports have become a battleground. But in the world of gymnastics — specifically within the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs (NAIGC) — that battle turns into a celebration.
Across the U.S., as laws and policies clamp down on the rights of trans athletes, the NAIGC is quietly building a community where gender norms get flipped on their head — literally. The group boasts over 2,500 members and 160 clubs, providing college and adult gymnasts a rare gift: a place to compete, thrive, and — most importantly — be themselves.
Raiden Hung, a 21-year-old gymnast from Boston, knows this all too well. “Gymnastics is the love of my life,” Hung says. But as a trans-masculine athlete who grew up competing in women’s events, Hung feared he’d be forced to choose between his identity and his sport. “It was sort of like, ‘Do I have to make a choice?’” he recalls. Thankfully, in the NAIGC, he didn’t.
Where Gender Doesn’t Define Talent
Forget old-school rules. In NAIGC competitions, there are no men’s or women’s categories — just skill levels. Athletes compete on whatever apparatus they want. Men on the balance beam? Women on the parallel bars? Nonbinary athletes doing it all? Yes, yes, and yes.
The NAIGC even hosts a “decathlon” — a ten-event showdown open to all genders. It’s about ability, not biology. “We want people to be able to continue doing gymnastics into adulthood in a way that feels comfortable and safe,” says Ilana Shushanky, the NAIGC’s director of operations.
This is about more than sports. In a country where lawmakers are weaponizing gender identity, spaces like NAIGC meets send a powerful message to LGBTQ athletes: you belong here.
The Fight Beyond the Mat
Not all arenas are so welcoming. New federal restrictions on trans athletes — including a recent executive order from President Donald Trump limiting women’s sports to those assigned female at birth — have sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ community.
The effect is chilling. Some NAIGC athletes admitted they considered quitting altogether. But for many, leaving the sport felt like surrender. Wes Weske, a nonbinary athlete and former decathlon competitor, summed it up best: “Part of my identity is as an athlete… It really helped my self-image.”
And isn’t that what sports are supposed to do — lift people up, build confidence, foster community?
A Celebration of Queer Joy
At the NAIGC’s national competition in Pittsburgh this April, more than 1,700 gymnasts showed what inclusion looks like in motion. For Hung and the 11 other athletes who registered their gender as “other,” the event was nothing short of euphoric.
Competing on the uneven bars, Hung was met with hugs and cheers from teammates. Among them was Eric Petersen, a 49-year-old former Air Force gymnast who now competes alongside Hung. “If you love the sport, then do the sport and have fun, no matter who you are,” Petersen said.
This is the kind of allyship that keeps LGBTQ athletes coming back to the mat.
Finding Their Own Balance
Another gymnast, Ten Harder — a 22-year-old nonbinary Ph.D. student at Boston University — found their way in gymnastics after watching Gabby Douglas win Olympic gold. Harder grew uncomfortable competing in women’s meets as they came into their trans-masculine identity. But finding other queer athletes on TikTok helped them feel less alone.
“It’s important to remember that trans athletes are just people, too,” Harder says. “We deserve to be in the sports that we love.”
For LGBTQ athletes, especially trans and nonbinary competitors, gymnastics isn’t just about medals or routines. It’s about joy, self-expression, and building a world where no one has to choose between who they are and what they love.
And honestly? That sounds like gold.