Nikki Hiltz, VIS League™ Member and professional runner for Adidas and Emma Gee, VIS League™ Member and Division I Runner for Temple University are considered a power couple in the US women’s track and field community. They want to see a normalization of their relationship moving forward and bring visibility for those who feel unseen in their queerness.
“How do you both use your platforms to drive change in sport and beyond, individually and together?”
“We use our platforms to share our experiences as LGBTQ+ athletes and support other minority perspectives,” Emma says. “I use my platform to share my experience with becoming the first LGBTQ+ athlete at BYU. My story serves as a reminder that LGBTQ+ student athletes exist at religious universities and that their rights need to be protected.”
Nikki has taken a philanthropic approach to using her voice for change. “As a gay professional track athlete, I’ve used my platform to put on a virtual Pride 5k race, raise money for the Trevor Project, encourage donations to BLM organizations, promote BLM petitions and get as many followers registered to vote as possible.”
Both Nikki and Emma feel that “underrepresented communities, especially the LGBTQ+ community, need representation. Representation can provide hope, possibility and context when an individual can’t find it in their own environment. Regardless of identity (i.e. sexual orientation, race), professional athletes should use their platform to drive change by empowering voices from marginalized communities. If you have a platform, use it.”
“We use our platforms to share our experiences as LGBTQ+ athletes and support other minority perspectives.”
We asked Nikki and Emma for a crash course on how athletes can use their platforms to drive social change and advocate for others. Here are the main points they came up with:
Stay informed and inform others
Challenge preconceived notions
Promote inclusive content
Vote and volunteer in your community
Include pronouns in social media bios
What are actions we can take to encourage coaches and teammates to create a safe and inclusive space? Emma and Nikki recommend:
Be kind
Seek diversity and inclusion training
Be intentionally inclusive
Reject non-inclusive behavior
Use inclusive language
Stop making assumptions/stereotyping
“What professional women in sport do you both look up to for driving change?”
Nikki and Emma listed these courageous and talented athletes as their sources of inspiration.
Cece Telfer is a transgender woman who competed on the Franklin Pierce University Women’s track and field team. She won the 400 meter hurdle final at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2019. She is currently training for the Olympics.
Claire Green is a professional runner who is advocating for women of color in the track community.
“What’s the one thing you both would like everyone to take away from this piece?”
In speaking with Nikki and Emma, they both emphasized that no one exists in a completely homogenous environment. Girls and women in sport must challenge the idea that everyone in their sport and on their team is cisgendered and straight. Assumptions and stereotypes are dangerous, and when we get rid of them, it helps create safe spaces in sport. Safe spaces are essential because, when everyone can show up as themselves, we can perform at our best.
