Yesterday, Schuyler Bailar came to campus to give a talk about his experience as the first openly transgender D1 NCAA swimmer. Immediately I was struck by his eloquence and the ease with which he was able to command everyone’s attention with the utmost modesty and friendliness. Schuyler’s story is truly an incredible one, and I am so glad I got to hear it.
Schuyler and I actually swam together growing up, albeit on rival teams. I am definitely not the first to say this, but he has always been a talented swimmer and kind person. I distinctly remember one time when he came up to me and told me that he thought I had really good breaststroke form and I was so flattered to receive a compliment from a very fast breaststroker himself. Over the years I’d see him sporadically at competitions both our teams would attend and continued to be impressed by his wonderful personality and speed in the pool. We eventually lost touch after he graduated high school, but we followed each other on social media. In that way I was able to stay somewhat virtually updated on his transition.
I didn’t see him again until two summers ago, when he came to swim with my old club team. But it was my first time seeing him, and he was just so unapologetically Schuyler. And that was so cool. He looked happy and that was all that mattered to anyone. I was really proud of the team and my coaches for being so welcoming. Since then, I’ve gotten to know Schuyler better. His patience, modesty, smile, kindness, humor, and overall loveliness never cease to amaze me. The impact he’s had on the LGBTQ+ community, especially trans athletes, is so obvious, as he continues to give so much time to telling his story and raising awareness about trans athletes and that is possible to share those two identities and also be happy and successful. Schuyler is truly one of a kind, and I’m so honored to call him a friend.