Amelia Gapin was interviewed for the upcoming cover story of Women’s Running magazine and she is the first transgender woman to do so. But Amelia is so much more than that. The 33-year-old has many titles; in her own words, Amelia is “an engineer, a wife, a nerd, a feminist, and a thousand other things too.” Amelia’s cover story is no small accomplishment, as this is the first time a transgender woman has been featured on any women’s fitness magazine.
For Amelia, the story marks a monumental step forward in accepting transgender women as women. Acknowledging her cover’s importance, Amelia said, “being a transgender woman on the cover of a magazine dedicated to women says people like me are not just being seen, but being seen for who we are. It’s a feeling of acceptance, inclusivity and being welcomed.” Amelia also revealed to People that running allowed her to cope with the emotional struggle of transitioning. Through running, Amelia was able to “work through all of the external things, like dealing with other people, and how to approach coming out to people and how to explain.”
Despite losing “a few months of running” because of her gender reassignment surgery, Amelia hopes to qualify for the Boston Marathon as a woman. It seems likely that Amelia will qualify as she has already run seven marathons. We’ll certainly be cheering her on.
Source: Pop Sugar