27/10/2022
I forgot to say goodbye!
That statement isn't entirely true. I've thought about how to share the news publicly for a while but nothing ever seemed to do my feelings and the truth justice.
Since I started sharing my voice more widely through Instagram in February 2020 I've had waves of emotion from pure trans joy to absolute dread when I woke up one day to find 500+ individual pieces* of hate mail in my DM’s.
I've had the delight of championing inclusion, the removal of barriers and encouraging and leading engagement policy for the LGBT+ community and athletes in aquatics.
When I first started being “The Transgender Swimmer” I knew it was important to have fixed reviews in place to ensure that firstly I was being honest with my feelings around social media and that above all else it would benefit me. Other things I always considered included responding to enquires, media attention, sporting governing bodies and more recently concerned parents of transgender children.
Having this position in the aquatic world has often felt completely overwhelming and has regularly put me in a position of danger when trying to enjoy my time in local pools, ponds and rivers. I have mostly been able to keep myself safe and refocus on the positives that I have shared thanks to my voice, however, this balance is no longer possible.
From the very first day I made a commitment to never knowingly debate my existence or my place in society. While I've been very open and honest with my views and feelings, I've kept many topics and life experiences off the table due to fears of my own and others safety.
I had the joy and despair of starting and closing an LGBT+ Swimming group due to concerns around maintaining the safety of others. The very thing I set out to prevent became unpreventable.
I've had some incredible experiences in the last few years: I've been to festivals, worked with incredible (and some terrible) brands, represented national bodies formally and informally and above all else, proudly flew the flag for the community.
I've met some beautiful, insightful and courageous people who I'm now lucky enough to call my friends. All these have held the weight and pressure of educating others and have supported me unconditionally through every lake, tarn and tear.
For now, when relevant, I'll make myself available for media enquiries, parental advice and LGBT+ support.** While my time with Instagram has come to a close, my website will remain here and I will continue to update it with my work as I see fit.
I'll forever be grateful to the hundreds of people who have shared my joy, anger and voice, especially when I thought nobody would.
At the end of my short documentary, self titled Eden, I spoke from the heart, candidly, and it feels fitting I share this today as my closing message.
“My relationship with water has changed. It started out as a very safe place and a distraction almost from life, and over the last year, it has become my life. It's become something I look forward to doing, rather than something I needed to do. It's become a place where I can meet new friends and create new memories, but it's still the same place that I go if I'm having issues in life, if I'm upset, if I'm grieving, if I'm falling in love. All those things I still take to the water with me and the water is still there to help support me.”
I hope to see you in the cold water soon.***
Eden x
*Instagram has a handy delete all option at the bottom of the message requests inbox, I encourage you to use this if this ever happens to you. It's very efficient.
**Please use the enquires feature on my website.
***Also available for hot tub testing and feedback.
Since I started sharing my voice more widely through Instagram in February 2020 I've had waves of emotion from pure trans joy to absolute dread when I woke up one day to find 500+ individual pieces* of hate mail in my DM’s.
I've had the delight of championing inclusion, the removal of barriers and encouraging and leading engagement policy for the LGBT+ community and athletes in aquatics.
When I first started being “The Transgender Swimmer” I knew it was important to have fixed reviews in place to ensure that firstly I was being honest with my feelings around social media and that above all else it would benefit me. Other things I always considered included responding to enquires, media attention, sporting governing bodies and more recently concerned parents of transgender children.
Having this position in the aquatic world has often felt completely overwhelming and has regularly put me in a position of danger when trying to enjoy my time in local pools, ponds and rivers. I have mostly been able to keep myself safe and refocus on the positives that I have shared thanks to my voice, however, this balance is no longer possible.
From the very first day I made a commitment to never knowingly debate my existence or my place in society. While I've been very open and honest with my views and feelings, I've kept many topics and life experiences off the table due to fears of my own and others safety.
I had the joy and despair of starting and closing an LGBT+ Swimming group due to concerns around maintaining the safety of others. The very thing I set out to prevent became unpreventable.
I've had some incredible experiences in the last few years: I've been to festivals, worked with incredible (and some terrible) brands, represented national bodies formally and informally and above all else, proudly flew the flag for the community.
I've met some beautiful, insightful and courageous people who I'm now lucky enough to call my friends. All these have held the weight and pressure of educating others and have supported me unconditionally through every lake, tarn and tear.
For now, when relevant, I'll make myself available for media enquiries, parental advice and LGBT+ support.** While my time with Instagram has come to a close, my website will remain here and I will continue to update it with my work as I see fit.
I'll forever be grateful to the hundreds of people who have shared my joy, anger and voice, especially when I thought nobody would.
At the end of my short documentary, self titled Eden, I spoke from the heart, candidly, and it feels fitting I share this today as my closing message.
“My relationship with water has changed. It started out as a very safe place and a distraction almost from life, and over the last year, it has become my life. It's become something I look forward to doing, rather than something I needed to do. It's become a place where I can meet new friends and create new memories, but it's still the same place that I go if I'm having issues in life, if I'm upset, if I'm grieving, if I'm falling in love. All those things I still take to the water with me and the water is still there to help support me.”
I hope to see you in the cold water soon.***
Eden x
*Instagram has a handy delete all option at the bottom of the message requests inbox, I encourage you to use this if this ever happens to you. It's very efficient.
**Please use the enquires feature on my website.
***Also available for hot tub testing and feedback.