Welcome to the Evolving Man Project’s “Evolved Man of the Week” profile. Each week, we will highlight an individual who embodies what it means to be an evolved man, including famous and non-famous individuals. The world needs to know their stories and deeds. This week’s honor goes to Division I swimmer, author, public speaker, and LGBTQ advocate Schuyler Bailar.
Bailar was assigned female at birth in New York City to parents Gregor Bailar and Terry Hong. He has Korean ancestry on his mother’s side. McLean, Virginia, was where Bailar grew up and lived before going to college. From kindergarten to 12th grade, he went to Georgetown Day School.
Bailar’s decision to embrace a tomboy persona brought him closer to his parents and distanced him from his peers. After turning his attention to swimming, he quickly rose to an elite level by the age of 10. With outstanding performances, he triumphed in the 100-yard breaststroke at the Potomac Valley Junior Olympics for consecutive years. He made his mark in the realm of high school swimming, achieving the prestigious titles of two-time All-American and USA Swimming Scholastic All-American swimmer.
Despite being successful, he had a tough time in his personal life. When he was 18, Harvard’s women’s swimming team recruited him. Despite this, his hospitalization for an eating disorder caused him to take a gap year before college. Using this period for introspection, he discovered he experienced discomfort when presenting as a girl because he identified as transgender.
Therapy revealed that Bailar’s true battle lay in their gender identity, ultimately identifying as transgender. Bailar had to make a challenging decision: remain on the Harvard women’s team as a potential NCAA champion or transition and embrace their true self, accepting the challenges and consequences involved.
Being true to himself, Bailar has made a historic choice. His story went viral on Facebook, and The Washington Post and 60 Minutes, along with many other media outlets worldwide, covered it, resulting in millions of online and broadcast views. MTV cited his story in their list of “2015’s Best Moments for the Trans Community,” BuzzFeed named him one of the “11 Transgender people who are shifting our views.”
In his search, Bailar couldn’t find any examples of trans athletes, motivating him to be public about his transition and become a visible role model for young people. His advocacy has transformed into a career as a DEI consultant, life coach, advocate, and author. Bailar has a wide range of experience, having worked with schools, corporations, and non-profits in hundreds of appearances.
Their achievements include being named LGBTQ Nation’s Instagram Advocate of the Year and receiving a prestigious Harvard Athletics Director’s Award. Only six others have received the award before him.
Bailar’s book, He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters, is the go-to resource for understanding trans inclusion. Obie Is Man Enough, Bailar’s first novel, has earned the title of Editors’ Choice and become a classroom favorite. Featured in Fresh Ink is the first short story he penned, which is included in a compilation of works by esteemed young adult authors published by WNDB in collaboration with Random House.
Here’s what Schuyler Bailar has to say about the troubling shift in laws that target and ban trans youth from participating in school sports nationwide.
“These bills are absolutely devastating,” … “It is stressful for me because I feel like I should be doing something. I had the privilege of competing, I already did my sport and lived my dream. But how many kids don’t have that privilege who are going to be massively affected by these bills?”
Schuyler Bailar’s journey and written words are being used to uplift trans issues to create a better world of all people no matter their gender identity. The Evolving Man Project wishes him continued success. Today, we honor Schuyler Bailar as our Evolved Man of the Week.
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