Guest Editorial: USMS – Do Not Marginalize Transgender Swimmers
By Kerri N McCaffrey
Dear Swimming World Community,
I am a transgender Masters swimmer and have competed in various genders and age groups over my lifetime. Currently, I am 61 years old. Starting around 1995, I began taking hormones and initiated my transition from the male to female gender—capped by my complete ‘bottom’ surgery (vaginoplasty, etc.) in February of 2005.
I was a public school teacher in New Jersey and had to fight an initial and longer-term battle to maintain my employment, which I did. While I swam on my own—my Masters career was totally shuttered when I began to take female hormones. On the one hand, I began to add body fat I had not had before—especially breast tissue and an added layer of fat in my hips, thighs, and buttocks areas. When I reentered the pool after some time off, my body was more buoyant, and I had to adjust my stroke and turns to account for this. I had lost muscle mass, but my bone structure remained pretty much as it had been prior to surgery when I had my male anatomy. After transition, I was essentially pulling way more in the pool with less muscle availability to do it.
However, I made a decision at the time not to compete in my new gender; I just felt it was not time.
With every state being different regarding transgender locker-room use laws—I felt that I had to be very careful when, in 2012, I finally swam at a meet in Florida. Could I change in the female locker room at this meet or could I not? Would I be arrested if I did so because someone suspected I was transgender and reported me? I “solved” my issue (admittedly, not well) at this meet by not going to the restroom at all—and by not showering before my five-hour drive to my parents’ house in Northern Florida. It was not ideal, and I again—for a long time—returned to just swimming on my own rather than risk possible arrest for using the locker/restroom facilities in a jurisdiction where it might be illegal for me to do so. Other people who are trans make similar decisions—holding off using the restrooms during practices, meets, or on long drives; I am not alone.
In the meantime, I finished my teaching career (high school and fifth grade—as well as coaching a few years of prep school swimming in Illinois). I have begun swimming Masters again. Last summer, I contacted the head of the committee that handles USMS trans athletes and turned over about 20 years of testing. My constant testosterone level is well below what a biological female produces—and has been this way since my transgender surgery in 2005. I continue to test to keep my eligibility (I have a letter of eligibility from USMS). I have had five testosterone tests over the past year—my latest test, for the curious— was 0.2427 nmols/L. The threshold for me to compete—when USMS had their testing in place just days ago, was 5.0 nmols/L or less. As you can see, I have only trace testosterone levels present in my body due to having had male to female bottom surgery.
I wanted to write to say that I would like USMS to revert back to its very recently abandoned policy which allowed post-operative trans females (i.e., born male but having surgically transitioned to female—also referred to as “M to F) to continue to be able to swim “officially” as females if they meet the testing requirements USMS had in place (a year of testing showing testosterone levels at or below below 5 nmols/L).
I have not been “a star” in the female division nationally in any way. As a matter of fact, a look at my top-10s over the years shows that I was more competitive swimming in the men’s division (before my transition) than I have been as a female:
Career Top 10’s (TT) USMS
*All Breastroke Races
TT Rnk. Course Time Age Gen
# 6 1992 100 SCY 1:00.43 24-29 Male
# 3 1994 100 LCM 1:11.4 30-34 Male
# 2 1994 200 LCM 2:38.72 30-34 Male
# 5 1995 200 SCY 2:14.86 30-34 Male
# 5 1995 100 LCM 1:12.27 30-34 Male
# 2 1995 200 LCM 2:38.16 30-34 Male
Below, As Female, 2012 (45-49 age group)
*All Breastroke
# 3 50 LCM 39.32
# 5 100 LCM 1:27.08
Unranked 200 LCM 3:20.13
Below, As Female Again
2024-2025 (60-64 age group)
*All Breastroke
*The following are not officially Top Tens yet as these are from 2024-2025. 2024 Nationals are extracted here:
# 7 50 SCY 36.7
# 6 100 SCY 1:19.67
# 4 200 SCY 2:56.03
I know there are people who say transgender athletes swim as females because “we couldn’t cut it” in the male division. That is not why I began transition in my 30s (finishing at age 41 with surgery). It was to live as my true self. I have dealt with so much over the years—regrets (I had them—like many people who are trans do—but I no longer regret anything). Having passing regrets about transition does not mean one needs to detransition. I did not detransition when such regrets came, thankfully, and I am at peace now—20 years as a fully transitioned female.
I never stopped taking my estrogen/HRT in all that time. A record I set in NJ LMSC Masters turns 30 years-old this summer, and in high school I was a state champion (NJ, 1981) and on a Division III All-American relay, in 1983. So I did not transition out of a need to win races—but to be at peace. I would like to continue to swim officially as “Kerri” because it is who I am now and more importantly for competitive Masters swimming, it is fair for me to do so based on the evidence cited in my top-10 performances in both genders and by being nearly devoid of testosterone for two decades.
I love Masters swimming because of the friendships I have made and because the challenging workouts are much more fun when done with trusted others who are reliable, possess unbelievable and inspiring inner strength, and don’t back down from challenges. I also like to compete—but at this point, I really only want to race if USMS allows me to “officially” be myself.
Finally, I am against placing a swimmer such as myself into a “catch-all,” “Open,” or “Non-Binary” division unless the swimmers who enter that division are required to test for lowered testosterone levels for extended periods of time—and can prove that they have met the criteria for lowered testosterone (I tested five times last year —paying for the tests myself—and reported each of those results to USMS). I passed every test.
There are trans people who were born male—but are now living as women or non-binary—who do not want female hormone treatments and androgen blockers—they simply want to live as female or non-binary without lowering their testosterone or having surgery. This is their choice and I respect it, but having these people in an Open/Non-Binary Division is not fair to a post-operative male to female person who basically has no testosterone in her body—like me. If the Open Division were for those post-operative M to F swimmers (those having had bottom surgery)—or for individuals who are M to F transgender without surgery but who abided by rigorous testosterone level testing, then I would readily swim in that division.
Finally, I would ask that USMS not make a person like me who is a post-operative transgender choose between competing “officially” as a male or “unofficially” as a female. Yes, I understand how I was born—but for the sake of sport—both ways of dealing with me as a person who is “post-op trans” make me feel different and ‘less than.’ If I swam as a male and took my shirt off on the block—you would see the difference! And while I would never do that—you get the point. And having me swim ‘unofficially’ as a female makes me feel like I am really not being fully accepted by USMS—sort of a “yes, you are a woman—but stay over there” way of dealing with me.
I urge USMS, to immediately make the correct decision and reverse course—allowing postoperative M to F transgender individuals to compete “officially” in the female USMS divisions—not as unofficial afterthoughts.
Thank you—and thank you to my fellow swimmers of all ages for taking the time to see that there are many nuances to this issue that are not always spoken about in social media or on the news.
Kerri N McCaffrey