GUSA ’ S LGBT + ROLE MODELS IN SPORT
Name : Mathew Wilkie
Year of Study : 2 nd year PhD
Subject : Biochemical engineering
Sport ( s ): Climbing & mountaineering , swimming , football
1 . What is your greatest achievement in sport ?
Completing the OMM ( a 2 day mountain marathon )
2 . How has being a part of a sport ’ s club benefited your time at UofG ?
Made friends , had fun , learnt skills , explored the highlands . Confidence building , body reclamation , mental health improvement .
3 . What would you say to those who are new to sport / anxious about using the gym ?
As a trans person using the gym was scary at first – especially going swimming where I might bump into someone I know . After a while I learnt that , really , no one is looking at me – they ’ re focussed on their own workouts . I ’ ve made friends , and learnt to reclaim my own body and see the ways it can impress me and work with me even though it often doesn ’ t feel like it ’ s mine . There are many sports teams out there who won ’ t care about what you look like or sound like and they are worth holding out for .