An athletic woman in a sports bra, leggings and stylish sunglasses soaks in the sun while relaxing on a wooden decking.
In another photo, her scrunchie-tied hair swings to the side as she balances in a with her hands above her head and a huge smile on her face.
‘She looks happy,’ I thought to myself when I first saw the series of photos in ’s Instagram post earlier this month. Then I scrolled down and read some of the comments.
‘This is insulting to women,’ one person commented. ‘Sick world,’ another simply said.
Her crime? Being herself, apparently.
You see, Dylan is an actress, comedian and TikTok personality – but she also happens to be a trans woman too. And people seem to be losing their minds over the fact that she’s collaborating with big brands like Nike and Bud Light.
In fact, they’re unashamedly boycotting these brands and turning these innocent sponsorship campaigns into a toxic spectacle. Former Olympian is one of the people leading the charge for a boycott after doing an interview on .
Both personalities proceeded to purposefully misgender Dylan – repeatedly calling her a man – as well as saying she was a ‘parody’ of a woman.
It just goes to show that they have absolutely zero respect for trans people and what we go through. If they had any sense of morality or human decency towards trans people, the very least they could do is respect who someone is and what they want to be called.
While many of the detractors claim their outrage has to do with women not getting enough sponsorship in sports, in my opinion, they simply have a problem with trans women existing in public and being successful.
A trans woman being sponsored to do an ad on her instagram through Nike isn’t responsible for women having a lack of funding in sports, and it’s ridiculous to claim the two are somehow related. That is a systemic issue based on sexism and misogyny in a world that doesn’t recognise the achievements of women and favours men’s sport.
Women face a number of serious challenges in sports, including lack of funding or access to the same opportunities as men, sexual abuse and violence and more. Those are real challenges and barriers that certainly need to be addressed and eradicated.
Getting angry about a trans woman posting about a sports bra and some leggings on Instagram does nothing to solve that. If anything, it’s a distraction from the wider issues.
Besides, Nike has been supporting LGBTQ+ causes for many years, , which launched over 10 years ago. It celebrates queer people like Gilbert Baker, who designed the rainbow flag.
Nike supporting LGBTQ+ people is hardly something new, so this latest outrage feels completely blown out of proportion. They are joined by most major sports brands – such as Adidas, Puma, Reebok, New Balance and more – who know that celebrating diversity and inclusion is an important part of growing as a major brand.
It’s an obvious fact that women – like anyone else – can and do use sports bras and leggings.
I personally need to wear one when I work out or go for a run – whether or not people like it.
Someone like Dylan being visible online means that trans people like me can see themselves reflected – and that’s always a positive thing. It doesn’t affect anyone in a negative way.
The thing is, there are countless Nike ads and collaborations on the internet that don’t involve a ‘scary’ trans person. Why don’t people just look at those instead of getting spooked or upset about a trans person uploading an Instagram post?
To me, this is just another attempt to create an outrage over nothing in order to further marginalise trans people and push us out of public life. I believe there is nothing reasonable or logical about this newest furore and those spearheading it look incredibly ridiculous.
In the end, trans people are here to stay.
We are a part of society like everyone else, and have been for as long as modern society has existed in one form or another. We are allowed to enjoy the same things as other people, as well as to be seen and to be successful without constantly being subjected to abuse and vitriol for simply existing in public.
Dylan recently spoke out about the backlash she’s been facing for the past few weeks, and her simple response is that she’s ‘thriving’. To me, this is the best possible response to a manufactured indignation like this.
The biggest act of rebellion you can do when people try to put you down is to succeed, thrive, and be happy – which is precisely what trans people should continue to do.
I know I will – while wearing a sports bra and all.
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