Just One of the Guys: First Transgendered Student to Play Football at High School in Nova Scotia

By Carolyn Alston

As football season kicks off, a 17 year old girl, Kennedy Cooley, wanted nothing more than to kick off her heels and nestle into a pair of football cleats. She made history becoming first transgendered student to play football at Halifax High School in Nova Scotia, Canada.

He was, at first, hesitant about trying out for the football team after changing schools. His experience from the previous school proved to be unsettling. Once he actually made the team, he realized his new team mates were only concerned about football.

"I'd heard that a lot of the guys are like family, they really get along together, they all know each other, and they're really close friends, and I was just nervous about going in there and maybe, somebody wasn't okay with my being transgender," Cooley said to CTV News.

His previous school made their disapproval of his transgendered lifestyle apparent. He was greeted with hostility toward the LGBTQ community and didn't feel welcomed according to one report.

David Kelly, Cooley's coach said though the wide receiver is still learning, he is not the only one. Opening up about being transgendered has given his teammates a look into what it is growing up in as transgendered and a deeper perspective that they didn't have before.

Cooley who goes by Kenny is now the wide receiver for the Warriors. Though it is early in the season the coach is confident he will make his mark and become an encouragement to his fellow teammates on and off the field.

His parents are proud of him and happy for him. The now senior in high school has the support of his parents and now the support of his teammates.

"He's never been afraid of challenge, and we've always supported him as much as we could. It isn't always easy, but at the end of the day, your goal as a parent is to make sure your child is a productive citizen in society, and when we look at him, we see that he is a good kid." Cooley's father told ABC News.

Cooley isn't the only transgender in sports. This comes after Chris Mosier, the first openly transgender athlete competing on the US Olympic national team. It is also becoming for popular at the high school and college levels with Matt Dawkins, a track runner in high school and Schuyler Bailar, a swimmer at Harvard. 

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