In the summer of 2012, Juniper Simonis found herself cycling through Ithaca, New York, with a sense of liberation and anticipation. The wind rushed through her hair, and the music of Mariee Siou played in her ears. This moment was made even more special by an email she had just received, informing her that the Ithaca League of Women Rollers had voted to allow her to play. For Simonis, a transgender woman, this was a profound moment of acceptance.
“Getting a message that was like, ‘You are welcome,’ was very, obviously, very uplifting,” Simonis recalled. This moment marked the beginning of her journey in roller derby, a sport that has long been at the forefront of transgender inclusion. While the policies and practices are not perfect, roller derby has consistently chosen to remain inclusive, even as other sports grapple with these issues.
The Evolution of Roller Derby
Roller derby’s roots trace back to the 1930s when sports promoter Leo Seltzer organized a roller skating endurance race on a banked track. According to the Smithsonian, the sport was co-ed from the start, although men were paid more than women. Over time, the sport evolved into the high-contact, five-player game we know today.
In the early 2000s, a group of women in Austin, Texas, sought to bring organization and structure to the sport. They debated whether to use a banked track or a flat track but shared a common culture that celebrated strength, individuality, and a rebellious spirit. “There was definitely something really cool about a tough punk rock chick of that era,” said Rachel “Rotten” Johnston, a derby veteran and Angel City League Derby Director. “It was post riot grrrl kind of coming into the 2000s, a direct rebuttal of the pop culture that was happening.”
Breaking Barriers for Transgender Athletes
Roller derby’s counter-culture ethos made it a natural fit for transgender athletes. The sport’s emphasis on strength, resilience, and individuality resonated with many who felt marginalized in other areas of their lives. Nicole Williams, known as Bonnie Thunders on the track, is often referred to as the “LeBron James” of roller derby. With 20 years of experience, she has seen the sport evolve on trans issues.
Williams acknowledged that there was a time when she and other skaters knew less about trans women and what it might mean to skate with them. However, the experience of playing with trans athletes changed minds over the years. “When I see, ‘protect women’s spaces,’ that feels so repressive,” she said. “I don’t want to discount that women’s spaces are important. They are, but I don’t really identify with that in the way that I used to.”
The Policy Shift
The Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) has over 400 leagues across six continents, while the Roller Derby Coalition of Leagues (RDCL) has eight teams. The WFTDA never actively banned trans athletes, but its early policies created some barriers. In the early 2000s, the policy around trans participation generally mirrored that of the Olympics at the time: Transgender women were allowed to skate if they had undergone hormone replacement therapy for two years.
However, this policy was applied unevenly. Some teams allowed trans women to skate even if they hadn’t met the medical requirements. In the 2010s, trans skaters started asking questions about the policy. In 2015, the WFTDA updated its policy to say that anyone of a marginalized gender is welcome and encouraged to skate, regardless of how they look or their transition status.
Challenges and Triumphs
Despite the progress, challenges remain. Donita Green, known as Blaxyl Rose on the track, said that gender-diverse skaters regularly report facing harsher penalties from referees. It’s even more pronounced for Black skaters like Green, who plays for Angel City Derby in Los Angeles. “I’ve seen firsthand how much worse some of these microaggressions and problems happen when you are a dark-skinned Black skater,” Green said. “You add knowledge of trans identity, and it’s just it tends to be even worse.”
Simonis has also faced substantial challenges as a trans person in the sport. She has been assaulted by other players because she is transgender. However, she remains committed to the sport and its values of inclusion and acceptance.
A Model for Other Sports
Roller derby’s commitment to inclusion has made it a model for other sports. The sport has prioritized inclusion above its perceived legitimacy, even as it has been considered for inclusion in the Olympics. The WFTDA skaters had reservations about engaging in international games that imposed strict gender rules on athletes. Eventually, they abandoned the idea.
Penelope Nederlander, known as Fifi Nomenon on the track, wants it to be OK for athletes to talk openly about how cisgender men and cisgender women might have different advantages or disadvantages in sports. “I want to arrive at the same conclusion, but with honesty about it,” she said, adding that trans women should still get to compete even if some are taller than some cisgender women. “In roller derby, there doesn’t seem to be an important difference. We really don’t have any complaints about trans skaters. So that’s awesome.”
Many argue that including transgender women in sports would compromise fairness and safety. Johnston said that years of derby have proven otherwise. “I think that people who are concerned about people getting hurt are missing the fact that we’re playing a full contact sport. You’re going to get hurt no matter what,” she said. “You know, life isn’t fair, and sports most certainly are not fair.”
