Who is Canadian footballer Quinn? Meet transgender star who has made history at the World Cup

Canadian midfielder Quinn made history last week when they became the first trans and non-binary footballer to play in a World Cup.

Quinn started Canada’s game against Nigeria on Friday, which ended in a goalless draw.

The 27-year-old played the full 90 minutes but was unable to help the team find a breakthrough as their campaign got off to a frustrating start.

Canada is ranked seventh in the world and is one of the favorites for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, with Quinn’s side also set to face Ireland and Australia in their group.

In light of the historic performance on Friday, Mail sports provides everything you need to know about Quinn.

Who is Quinn?

Quinn, formerly Rebecca Quinn, was born in Toronto, Canada, on August 11, 1995.

Growing up with three sisters, Quinn started playing football at the age of six and it soon became clear that they had a talent for the game.

They attended Duke University, where Quinn became the first Canadian to play for the Duke Blue Devils football team between 2013 and 2018, while studying biology.

After initially playing as a defender, they eventually progressed to midfield and were awarded the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference Midfielder of the Year award in 2017.

During Quinn’s time in college, they also represented Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics, as the country won bronze after previously debuting for the national team in 2014 at age 18.

Quinn is set to make history after becoming the first trans and non-binary athlete to compete in the Olympics two years ago.

That turned out to be a triumphant tournament for Canada, as they won gold in Tokyo.

When did Quinn switch?

In September 2020, Quinn took to social media to publicly come out as trans and non-binary.

In a detailed post on Instagram, they shared the news, in which Quinn emphasized their desire to “be visible to gay people who don’t see people like them on their feed.”

Quinn uses the pronouns “they” and “she” and was allowed to continue playing professional women’s soccer based on their gender assigned at birth.

The midfielder is subsequently a role model for all trans and non-binary people around the world.

She also said at the time, “I want to be a visible figure for young trans people or people questioning their gender, people exploring their gender.

“Because unfortunately, growing up, and even going through that process of sorting myself out in college, I didn’t have those people in the public sphere to look up to.

“There are several trans athletes and several trans people in media and politics, but I just don’t think those faces are ordinary enough.

“I want to be a visible trans person who succeeds at my job, so that younger trans people can see that they still have a way to go and that they have a future and a career ahead of them.”

Who do they play for?

After excelling at Duke University, Quinn became the highest educated Canadian in National Women’s Soccer League history when they were picked up third overall by the Washington Spirit in 2017.

After a year at the club, they moved to France to play for Paris FC ahead of the country’s 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Later that year they signed for OL Reign – who are based in Seattle – and Quinn has been there ever since, apart from a brief loan spell at Swedish club Vittsjo GIK in 2020.

Since making his debut for Canada at the age of 18 in 2014, the midfielder has 90 caps for the Canucks to his credit and appeared in two Olympics in 2016 and 2020.

After Canada won the 2020 Olympic Games – which were played in Tokyo in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic – Quinn became the first out, trans and non-binary gold medalist in Olympic history. Quinn also earned a bronze medal in 2016.

How has Quinn’s coming out been received?

The Canadian midfielder has generally been received with a lot of positivity since coming out.

Quinn’s announcement made headlines around the world and FIFA commented on the news in a statement.

The world governing body said at the time: ‘FIFA congratulates Rebecca Quinn on her pride and pride, and we wish them every success in their careers and for the future.’

Meanwhile, Canadian coach Bev Priestman couldn’t be more glowing in her praise of the 27-year-old.

She recently said, “I’m really proud of what Quinn is doing to raise awareness and, I think, make this world a much more inclusive place.

“When you talk about why (to) do these things, it’s a greater purpose. I find that very important.’

Meanwhile, Quinn’s Canadian teammates fully support their pioneering efforts to normalize trans and non-binary people in football and society.

Christine Sinclair – captain of the national team – said: ‘We joke that we don’t deserve Quinn. They’re such a good person.’

What does Quinn do off the field?

It’s both heartwarming and inspiring that Quinn not only feels comfortable coming out, but that they’re clearly motivated to be a role model for younger people who look up to trans and non-binary individuals in society.

Trans athletes have been regularly criticized in the media in recent months and years, while significant legislation has been passed in the US regarding transgender people.

Quinn appreciates their role in helping the world understand trans issues and after the World Cup, the midfielder plans to launch a mentoring program in Canada.

This will be for eight gender diverse football players aged between 13 and 17 and Quinn will support them under a new initiative called See Them, Be Them.

Talking to the Toronto star ahead of the tournament, Quinn emphasized how important this is given what’s going on in the US regarding trans and non-binary people.

“I think it’s a scary time, for me,” they said. “I think I have a lot of privileges going into this conversation, so I have to take that into consideration. But I think the reality is it’s scary.

“I’m someone who’s been through parts of a medical transition, and I think it’s hard to navigate the United States, where I live, in day-to-day life right now.

“I’m lucky to be in an environment in Seattle that’s quite liberal and accepting and easy to operate, but I don’t think that’s the case for the entire US right now.

“The most vulnerable populations are trans children, transgender people of color, they are armed for political gain. And this has been a very focused and diligent approach to creating this story.”

They continued, “The advancement of trans rights in society is not linear right now, (but) I think ultimately it is something that will persist and come out on top.

‘And I think you can see that in the visibility of transgender people in society. I think with that visibility, although it brings a setback, I think when we look years later, it will lead to more acceptance.”

But for now, Quinn hopes to help Canada build on their Olympic gold medal tally by surpassing their best-ever finish at a World Cup – the quarter-finals in 2015 – starting with a match against the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday.