Olympian Nikki Hiltz is model for transgender, nonbinary youth when they need it most

If I turned on the television to watch Olympic runner Nikki Hiltz competing for Team USA when I was a teenager growing up in the 1990s, I don’t know how I would have reacted. But I do know I would have been glued to the screen. Competing in their first-ever Olympics this summer, Hiltz has already run in some of the world’s most watched races, all of which are categorically split into “men’s” and “women’s,” while they – openly and bravely – identify as a transgender and nonbinary athlete.

As someone who is nonbinary myself, I am ecstatic to watch Hiltz compete as one of the world’s best runners, and to see them do so as their full, authentic self. I also know what Hiltz’s presence in Paris means to LGBTQ+ young people – and transgender and nonbinary youth in particular.

Right now, all across the United States, this group of young people is facing a near-constant barrage of politically motivated misinformation and demeaning rhetoric that questions their very identities. The Trevor Project ’s advocacy team has tracked that already in 2024, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been considered in state legislatures, most targeting transgender and nonbinary folks. These bills, and the ugly rhetoric surrounding them, take a toll on the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people.

An overwhelming 90% of LGBTQ+ young people said that recent politics negatively impacted their mental health in the past year, and nearly 2 in 5 LGBTQ+ young people also said that they or their families considered moving to a different state because of anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Three years ago, I relocated my family from Texas, and the anti-LGBTQ+ policies that jeopardized my family’s safety played a major factor in that decision.

This context makes Hiltz’s impact all the more important – both on and off the track. The Trevor Project’s research found that a vast majority of LGBTQ+ young people (67%) said seeing athletes come out as LGBTQ+ made them feel good about their own identities. Hiltz is a possibility model. They’ve shown young people everywhere that you can thrive in your favorite sport, and you can do so while standing proudly and firmly in your truth.

This representation matters, especially among Olympic athletes. The 2024 Paris Olympic Games is on track to make history for queer representation, with more than 150 out LGBTQ+ athletes reported to be participating from all over the world.

For transgender and nonbinary folks in the United States, much of the discourse on our participation in sports has been dangerously politicized. This year alone, The Trevor Project found that 67 state-wide transgender sports bans have been considered, and three have been passed into law to prevent transgender and nonbinary young people from participation. However, these bans are rooted in misinformation and untrue stereotypes, not in reality.

More: Transgender athletes face growing hostility: four tell their stories in their own words

While Hiltz deserves to celebrate their success and focus on preparing for the games ahead like any Olympian, it’s sadly not surprising to see they have received some backlash, simply because they are a transgender and nonbinary person. Anti-LGBTQ+ special interest groups have long pushed strong and coordinated misinformation campaigns to isolate our community. This misinformation banks on the fact that most people say they don’t personally know someone who is transgender or nonbinary. Fewer than 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. say they know someone who is transgender, and only 1 in 6 say they know someone who is nonbinary.

Thanks to Hiltz, Olympic fans across the world have the opportunity to put a face to a community that has been unfairly dehumanized for far too long. Many people have genuine questions or misunderstandings about what it means to be transgender or nonbinary, and that is valid. I encourage those folks to use Hiltz’s story as a starting point to help unlearn stereotypes and politically motivated misinformation. Get to know us as Nikki. Get to know us as Jaymes. Get to know us as individuals, not as some monolithic entity you only hear about on the news.

The Olympics has become a tradition for my family and me. We've been watching together as a family since my boys were about 6 years old. Just as we did during the trials, we will abandon our normal dinner table routine, and head to the living room to have our meal in front of the TV to cheer on Nikki, and the historic number of LGBTQ+ athletes competing in Paris. I hope Hiltz’s Olympic experience is everything they dreamed it would be. Their impact – both on and off the track – is momentous. Before Hiltz even begins their first race, they have already made this world a better and more hopeful place for transgender and nonbinary people everywhere.

Jaymes Black (they/she/he) is the Chief Executive Officer at The Trevor Project , the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Olympian Nikki Hiltz is model for transgender, nonbinary youth when they need it most