"This is who I am": Transgender athlete Iszac Henig opens up on self-acceptance

For a transgender athlete like Iszac Henig, sports can be very controversial. They might face a lot of criticism due to their body build-up. Henig even faced criticism when he opened up about his authenticity as a transgender.

However, Henig has been positive about embracing himself for who he is. In a college newspaper called the MA Chronicle, Henig opened up about his self-acceptance.

Iszac Henig wrote that earlier he used to mold himself according to the people around him, but now he has accepted the fact of who is was and felt it was a powerful feeling.

"I used to think that molding myself into what other people seemed to want made it easier to socialize and work with others, but I've come to realize that it's actually so much more powerful to just be like, 'This is who I am.'"

He added that it also helped him connect better with people.

"You're able to better connect with other people when you offer truth, and the world is a better place when we all can live authentic lives and feel respected, supported, and loved in doing so."

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Iszac Henig's thoughts on self-acceptance

An undergraduate athlete from Yale University made it to the headlines after coming out as transgender. After playing for several years in the women's category, Henig had to move to the men's category due to NCAA rules and regulations.

However, the matter has been settled and Iszac Henig has moved to the men's category. He has accepted the fact that he is happy winning less and living more.

In an opinion piece published in The New York Times, Iszac Henig shared the incident when he opened up to his mother. He also shared that his mother was unable to digest the facts easily,

"I came out to my mom when I was in eighth grade. I told her, 'Listen, I'm your son,' and she was like, 'Okay...' -- it's a big thing for a parent to hear."

Henig added that even he himself tried to avoid him being transgender.

"I was not ready to really advocate for myself or pursue that, so I retreated from it and didn't go ahead with anything at that time."

Later on, Iszac Henig wrote that after self-acceptance, over a period of a few months, he felt everything turned out to be easier.

"Everything... even things that seemed unrelated, like doing work or going to the grocery store felt easier. I allowed the current of my life to carry me instead of fighting it."

According to Henig, there is no 'better feeling than diving into the pool and getting after it.' The Yale University swimmer feels that he is not the slowest guy, in any event, he competes, but also thinks he has been less successful than he was in the women's team.

Iszac Henig had to go through 'testosterone-based hormone therapy' after the 2022 NCAA Championship, as he was ineligible to play for the men's team without it. He competed in the 50, 100, and 200-yard men's freestyle events, and getting placed from 69th to 79th positions at the Ohio State Invitational in June 2022.