Joanna Harper’s moving story: She changed from male to female
Joanna Harper
Joanna ends her Oct. 4 story thusly:
In the fall of 2007, USATF accepted me as a female member. I ran the club national cross country race in Ohio and I was thrilled to place 1st in the women’s 50-54 category. It was almost as much of a kick that Michele Montgomery and Mo Bartley, who were 2nd and 3rd, invited me to join them for dinner after the race.
Since then I have run in several more high level masters races with varying degrees of success. I have had the opportunity to become the director of a prominent race for master’s women. And I’m now a blogger of some renown too. I love it when people recognize me from my writing and it happens more than I ever would have guessed
It has been important to me to let my new friends know that I am transgender. But this is the first time that I put that information into one of my blogs. One of the main reasons that I am open about my past is that I am trying to dispel the generally negative stereotypes that are associated with people who don’t fit into the gender binary. I hope that I can succeed.
5 Responses
Ken:
Thanks for posting this. I acutally decided to write this story because I wanted to create context for a blog which Carmel posted yesterday (10/11).
I have posted three weekly stories about gender varient athletes on her blog and I would encourage readers who want more information to look at them.
Joanna
As I get older and older, a quick look in the mirror tells me that apparently the same thing is happening to me!
I am also moved by Joanna’s story about making the decision to come to terms with the conflict between her feelings and her body. I work with a transgendered person, and she has also found a better place for her life.
But I do think Joanna has done much better than having “varying degrees of success.” Of the last 20 results listed in Athlinks, she has been 1st or 2nd in 18 of her last 20 races, with several national age-group championships. The former John Harper would have to run significantly faster than he did at age 46 to win any of the corresponding M50 age group championships. It’s tough getting old, especially for biologically-borm women after she hits menopause (which thankfully you will not have to deal with).
First off let me say that it was nice that older but wiser was moved by my story.
It is true that I have done well in my age group since I turned 50. It is also true that I never would have won a single age group national championship as a male.
However, my high age group finishes are not the result of any advantage that I might have, but rather are caused by the paucity of fast older women in many races.
Older but wiser mentions my races listed on Athlinks. Many of those are low key races. For instance the most recent race listed was a mile road race in which I won my age group in 6:14. Second place in my age group was 17:45.
For the record I have won 5 age group national championships in the four years since I turned 50. Two of those “championships” could have been won with age graded performances of less than 80%. That would never happen in a men’s race.
I also placed 12th out of 20 in my age group at the last club national xc race and I have been lapped in a 3000 track meter race by another 50 year old woman (ok Carmen).
It is true that I will never go through menopause.
It is also true that testosterone levels of transgender are well below those of other women according to the journal of endocrinology.
In fact for every supposed advantage that transgender women might have, there is a correpsonding disadvantage too.
I would be happy to have a full discussion on the issue of transgender athletic performance with anyone who is willing to use their ocrrect name.
You are a Class Act, Joanna…nuff said.
Brad Kell
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