SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- Driven by its own Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the Mount Holyoke College Department of Athletics happily announced Thursday that it will welcome Schuyler Bailar to campus next Tuesday, March 28th for the college's annual Building On Our Momentum (BOOM) Community Day of Learning.
"The student-athlete advisory committee and its executive board have been working all semester on increasing DEI initiatives and programming to make the entire athletics community more inclusive, understanding, and welcoming for all," said SAAC Executive Board Chair Emily Mock '24. "The BOOM event with speaker Schuyler Bailar will be a great opportunity for everyone to learn more about what it means to be inclusive -- whether as a teammate, coach, student, leader, or community member."
Schuyler Bailar (he/him) is the first transgender athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA Division I men's team. He is an internationally-celebrated inspirational speaker and inclusion advocate, author and advocate for trans inclusion, body acceptance, and mental health awareness. A short bio of him can be read below.
"Among the department, individual varsity teams, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), initiatives around diversity, equity, and inclusion have been a high priority this academic year," said SAAC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Representative Marley Berano '25. "Aligning with current points of emphasis and future trajectory in DEI, the opportunity to host Bailar on campus is tremendously valuable both to the Athletics Department and greater Mount Holyoke community."
Event: Lane Changer: Trans Inclusion and Empowerment in Athletics featuring Schuyler Bailar
Date: Tuesday, March 28th
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (followed by a Meet-and-Greet from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.)
Location: Chapin Auditorium in Mary Woolley
Additional Information: Copies of his book will be raffled off and can be signed during the meet-and-greet
The sponsors of the event are the Department of Physical Education and Athletics; Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Division of Student Life; Office of Community and Belonging; and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. This event, however, really came at the request and due to the work of the SAAC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee.
"DEI has been a priority for SAAC this year because we have the opportunity to build it from the ground up, talk about important issues, build on the skills, and educate each other, which hasn't been possible in person for the past two years, due to COVID and remote learning," said SAAC Diversity & Inclusion Sub-Committee Chair Amrit Khinda '25. "Bringing Schuyler Bailar as a speaker for BOOM is a way for us to put more emphasis on our goals and to create a safe and accepting environment."
Bio: Schuyler Bailar is an internationally-celebrated inspirational speaker and inclusion advocate, author and advocate for trans inclusion, body acceptance, and mental health awareness. Schuyler Bailar (he/him) is the first transgender athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA Division 1 men's team. In college, he swam for Harvard University, on Harvard's winningest team in 50 years. Schuyler's difficult choice – to transition while potentially giving up the prospect of being an NCAA Champion – was historic. His story has appeared everywhere from 60 Minutes to The Washington Post. Schuyler's tireless advocacy has earned him numerous honors including LGBTQ Nation's Instagram Advocate for 2020. In 2021, Schuyler also released his first middle-grade novel, Obie Is Man Enough. And in 2022, Schuyler created LaneChanger.com making gender literacy education accessible to every team, school and company. As seen on The Ellen Show and The Olympic Channel, Schuyler will tell his groundbreaking journey as the first transgender athlete to compete on an NCAA D1 men's team in an engaging and uplifting presentation and discussion.
