Hawthorn AFLW Captain Tilly Lucas-Rodd has Announced Her Non-Binary Identity
The captain of the Hawthorn Hawks women’s team in the Australian Football League (AFLW), Tilly Lucas-Rodd, announced that she identifies herself as a person who does not belong to either the male or female sex.
Lucas-Rodd spoke about her non-binary identification in an interview with the specialized ABC News channel and explained that she made the decision to do this because it is part of her personality.
She also expressed the hope that this will help draw attention to the problems faced by non-binary people, including in traditionally male teams.
“I think it’s important for people who see me as a leader to know who I am and what that means,” Lucas-Rodd said.
Hawthorn Hawks have confirmed Lucas-Rodd’s support and stated that they will work with her to understand and support her identification.
“The whole team adheres to the principles of inclusivity and equality, and we support all forms of personal identification and take them for granted,” the club said in a statement.
Lucas-Rodd’s message came amid a general increase in interest in gender identification issues in sports. In 2020, the captain of the Adelaide Strikes women’s team, Eran Phillips, announced that he is transgender and will continue to perform in the AFWL.