Why Politics Do Matter in Swimming

I'm a member of many pool and open water swimming groups on various social media platforms. With the state of current events in the US, some posts are political, and there are many responses saying "keep politics out of swimming!"

What people don't realize is that swimming is, and has historically been, interwoven with politics. Many of the actions being taken by the current administration directly impact our swimming community.

To read more about swimming in history, I recommend reading a different post: Historical Perspectives: A Dive into the Tradition of Wild Swimming. In the US, the roots of swimming history are intertwined with discrimination and racism, with minorities being segregated or prohibited from public pools. The discrimination and racism resulted in exclusionary practices that prevented adults and children of color from learning basic swimming skills, which led to higher rates of drowning among communities of color, specifically in open water environments.

Another demographic that has come into the public eye over the past decade is the transgender and non-binary community. Although the trans and non-binary community is relatively small overall, it's disproportionately underrepresented in the swimming community due to a variety of factors, including:

1) Gendered categories in competitions/events

2) Questionable access to facilities and safe spaces pre- and post-swim

3) Attire requirements in traditional swimming spaces (coupled with limited options for non-traditional swimming attire)

Over the past 2-3 years, more and more anti-trans legislation has been introduced under the guise of protecting women's sports. As a result, both cis and trans women are under scrutiny. From genital inspections in schools to banning trans athletes, the legislation targeting the trans and non-binary community has directly resulted in many swimmers either moving from pool environments to open water, or leaving the sport altogether out of fear and frustration.

[Side story: I have personally been impacted by anti-trans fear mongering in several locker rooms, bathrooms, and pools. I have even been asked to prove I'm allowed to be in a women's locker room, and my word wasn't enough. I have had random strangers inspect my chest and body to ensure they felt safe enough around me - a tall, broad shouldered person wearing a tiny towel and flip flops, exhausted after a hard swim workout. I've been told I'm in the wrong bathroom or locker room, and asked to use the men's facilities on multiple occasions. Anti-trans profiling leads to unethical scrutiny of all persons.]

In addition to specific demographics being targeted, the swimming community is also impacted by political decisions in other ways.

First, the current administration has halted funding and government support for environmental protections, conservation efforts, and fighting climate change. Open water swimmers are directly impacted by the state of the natural environments they swim in. Pollution and water quality tracking will be the first thing impacted when regulations for water use, dumping, and protecting natural resources are eliminated, and funding dries up. Some areas will lose viable wild swimming locations due to water quality and be deemed unsafe to recreate in.

Second, international swims, as well as traveling to attend events, will be impacted. There are already many countries warning their citizens not to travel into the US, so international swimmers may exit our national events altogether. Swimmers traveling to other countries will have to have contingencies in place if they are delayed prevented from re-entering the US.

Third, swimming accessories, like swim suits, goggles, and tow floats, will increase in price, making swimming less accessible to less affluent communities. Swimming is already an expensive sport, especially registration costs for events, and adding higher product costs will begin to exclude children and families who can't afford swimming services on top of other rising costs.

Fourth, unstable or inconsistent funding will impact swimming facilities and program infrastructure. Schools, universities, community centers, and public swimming areas will likely loose the ability to both pay their employees and maintain their facilities. It's also concerning if threats or promises of funding will be used to force facilities to change their programs or policies, like whether there are non-gendered changing rooms, swim lessons for low-income families, or adaptive swim offerings.

Fifth, with authority being removed from the CDC and NIH, the risk of another pandemic or health crisis being handled inadequately could mean full closures of pools and open water locations and lack of policies on public safety overall.

I, like many of you, am extremely concerned for the future of swimming. The US has spent the past several decades working to lessen barriers to entry for people of color and the LGBTQ+ community, strengthen protections for environmental safety and conservation, and increase funding and opportunities for lessons and programming to improve safety and skills across all communities. Within a few months of the new administration, many of these gains have been stripped away.

From environmental and climate policies to legislation around inclusivity and access, the political landscape in the United States has the power to determine who can swim, where they can swim, and with whom they can swim.

Don't let the current administration set us back the decades we've worked so hard to improve our swimming community. Stand up, fight back. I guarantee someone you know has been negatively impacted by either new legislation or protections that have been repealed.

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