Findings highlight the need for structural and cultural change within sport and exercise environments to better support trans young people's physical activity participation, and embedding inclusive, gender-affirming exercise models within multidisciplinary services may enhance access, sustained engagement, and wellbeing.
Trans young people report lower levels of physical activity than their cisgender peers, with one in four limiting exercise participation due to their gender.
Twenty individuals participated in the study across three stakeholder groups: trans and gender diverse young people, parents, and healthcare providers.
Four themes were developed from the qualitative analysis of exercise experiences among trans young people and their stakeholders.
The binary nature of community sport and physical activity spaces was identified as a structural barrier to trans young people's exercise participation.
External pressures and societal marginalisation were identified as shaping trans young people's exercise participation.
Inclusive exercise was conceptualised as a reimagined social practice, representing a potential pathway forward for trans young people's physical activity engagement.
The intersectionality of adolescence and gender diversity was identified as a compounding factor shaping exercise experiences.
Embedding gender-affirming exercise models within multidisciplinary gender diversity services was recommended as a strategy to support trans young people's health.
This research explored the exercise experiences of transgender and gender diverse young people by interviewing them, their parents, and healthcare providers in Australia. A total of 20 people participated, including six trans youth, two parents, and twelve healthcare professionals. Using an interview-based approach, researchers identified four major themes: the complexity of being both an adolescent and gender diverse at the same time; the way sport and exercise spaces are rigidly organized around a male/female binary; how societal pressure and discrimination shape whether and how trans youth exercise; and the idea that truly inclusive exercise could be reimagined as a new kind of social experience. The study found that trans young people face significant structural and cultural barriers to physical activity — not just personal or psychological ones. Sport environments organized around a strict gender binary, along with external social pressures and experiences of marginalisation, were identified as key factors limiting participation. This matters because trans youth already report lower physical activity levels than their cisgender peers, and one in four limit their exercise participation specifically because of their gender identity. This research suggests that placing inclusive, gender-affirming exercise programs within the multidisciplinary health services that already support trans young people could be a meaningful way to improve their access to physical activity, their sustained engagement, and their overall wellbeing. The authors argue that structural and cultural change within sport and exercise environments is needed, and that this study provides a basis for developing and testing exercise-based programs specifically designed to meet the needs of trans youth.
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Upload Your LabsAustin F, Lin A, Wright K, Jackson B, Simpson A, Furzer B. (2026). Exercise experiences of adolescents engaged with gender diversity services: A qualitative approach.. Psychology of sport and exercise. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2026.103148