The Weightlifter Leo Chrzanowski
Age: 29
Sports: Weightlifting, ranching
Growing up in the US and inspired by westerns, Chrzanowski’s first sporting passion was rodeo. After transitioning seven years ago, he feels free to pursue his twin loves of horse riding and weightlifting. His efforts have clearly paid off
‘I’m from Philadelphia but live in Scotland. When I was a teenager, we moved out to the country. I got into horse riding because my dad and my grandfather ran a stable. At 12, my dad got me a horse. I had a big gap in riding because of my transition. Then when I became male it helped me come back to that sport as an adult, feeling way better about it.
‘I’ve always known I was male. Ever since I could talk and had a general understanding of the world. As a kid, I was always dressing in boys’ clothes and trying to be perceived male. I would see my dad with his shirt off and take mine off, too. He would be like, “Woah, what are you doing?” It just made sense to me.
‘My family wasn’t open to me being transgender at all. I was 23 when I started transitioning. I spent a long time in therapy because I was subject to a lot of emotional and physical abuse from my parents growing up. It took a lot of undoing damage for me to realise I could transition.
‘After I transitioned, I used a lot of programmes where you get to work on a ranch in return for food and board. I worked in Arkansas for three months and it was super gender-affirming to be a real-life cowboy.
‘With weightlifting, it was just like, “I’m a man, men lift weights. When can I start?” I wanted to be macho all the way. My weightlifting began when I started transitioning, but there was a lot of fear and lack of self confidence in the gym. It took me a year of parking outside and not going in, then going in at midnight and making sure no one was there – I was petrified. But now I have a healthy relationship with the gym and I’m so proud of how far I’ve come.
‘Physically, the difference is night and day. I was a scrawny boy feeling my way through becoming male.
Now, no one could clock me as trans. I don’t disclose it if I feel like my safety is in jeopardy. I see it as a teaching point to be around a bunch of dudes, let them be misogynistic and talk crap, then say, “Well, actually, I used to be a woman, so maybe you should reconsider your opinion.” I’ve educated a lot of people that way. You never know what a person has been through, so if you can approach more situations with love and understanding, you’ll probably make more meaningful relationships.
‘It’s a dream come true that I get to lift weights and ranch. I’ve always been like the ultimate manly man, so now it all makes sense.’