• First and Last Name: Beau Bradley (they/he)
  • Age: 31
  • Hometown: Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
  • Current Residence: Bellevue, Washington, USA
  • Current Sport(s) Played: Cheerleading – Pride Cheerleading Association, CHEER Seattle

Favorite Athlete and Team: My favorite athlete is Quinn, who is a midfielder for both OL Reign (NWSL) and Team Canada. They are the first ever openly trans/nonbinary athlete to medal in the Olympics, winning gold in 2020, and earned a bronze medal in 2016. Close runner ups include Billy Wagner (retired MLB), Ali Krieger (NWSL/GFC/Team USA) Saquon Barkley (NFL/NYG), and Sue Bird (retired WNBA/Team USA).

My absolute favorite sport to follow/watch is football, and even more specifically, my all-time favorite sports team is Penn State anything, but naturally, currently #13 Penn State Football. I was raised on the blue and white, went to PSU for two degrees, played IM soccer and softball there, briefly was on Club Swim as well. But I have watched almost every single Penn State Football game since I was a child. I had season tickets as a student and was at a game in Happy Valley, just last weekend for Penn State’s homecoming. I was honored last week as a part of the 2022 Penn State Alumni Homecoming Court, which included attending the game against Minnesota (we won 45 to 17). I could talk for hours about my favorite Penn State players including Allen Robinson, Michael Mauti, Miles Sanders, Matt McGloin, K J Hamler, and OF COURSE I have the utmost respect now for Carl Nassib. When I went to Penn State, I parked out by the football building, and I would stand there every time I walked by and just stare at that building. I always grew up as a kid dreaming that I would be like Rudy and walk on at Penn State, but I never tried. If I knew what I know now about myself (being trans), maybe I would have. My biggest regret is not playing football. I guess it’s not too late to play in other ways!

Second to Penn State is the Phillies! Which…. Can we talk about how they are in the World Series right now? Something I was not expecting just a few months ago. I am sad the Mariners were knocked out, but for a minute it was great to have both of my MLB teams in the postseason. Fun Fact: As a child, I briefly betrayed my love of the Phils to follow relief-pitcher Billy Wagner to the Mets, because I just could not get over his speed and consistency. He was my childhood favorite athlete. I was raised in a baseball-loving family who still regularly can be found down at CBP catching a game. Let’s go Phils!

Interests/Hobbies: I am on the board of directors (and am Secretary) for CHEER Seattle,an affiliate team of PCA. (see more about this in the answer to question below). I currently am not a performing member because I am rehabbing from my lifelong knee injuries and new-found hypermobility that is keeping me from being able to do everything I wanted. It has been a challenge to be on the sidelines, and I am not great at watching. I am a doer, a participator. I have really appreciated the opportunity however, to get involved in other ways and behind the scenes (detailed later), while I am not physically in action.

I like to go hiking and camping, participate in all water activities, and love exploring the PNW. I grew up on the East Coast, so there is so much for me to discover out here. I have been following the NHL as a Flyers fan and even a bandwagon Panthers fan when I lived in Florida, but recently with the addition of the Kraken, I have been enjoying getting into the hockey culture that Seattle has/is further developing. I enjoy going to concerts, writing, connecting with the Queer and Trans communities and trying new things. I love food. All the food.

I have a 2016 Mustang GT Convertible that I bought last year and taking care of that, learning about it, and taking it out for drives/commuting in it has been such an amazing hobby as of late. I grew up (socialized as a girl) not taken very seriously when it came to sports or cars. There wasn’t much representation of that around me at the time either. So, realizing at 30 that I could be a car guy, and learn about and take significant interest in cars has been liberating. My spouse and I have also shared one car since the end of 2018, so getting my own car this year, let alone my dream car, has been healing for my inner child in ways I never would have even known could be true. It is funny – I used to work as a firefighter and EMT, I started both before I graduated High school, and I knew so much about the trucks and I also worked though one of those jobs as the EMS at a dirt ⅓ mile racetrack in PA, and that was a highlight of my EMS career. Funny to look back and see those things and not realize my love for automobiles.

I am a lifelong learner, I love education and acquiring new skills and knowledge. I have a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a MPS in Homeland Security with an emphasis on Public Health Preparedness from the Pennsylvania State University. I also have a certificate in Cultural Intelligence from Harvard University Division of Continuing Education and am currently working on my Public Leadership Credential through the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. I have various professional certifications in Firefighting in both the Pennsylvania State or National level and held an Emergency Medical Technician- Basic Certificate through the Pennsylvania Department of Health from 2009 through 2021.

What’s your personal story? Tell us something about you, what interactions you have had with the sports community, LGBTQ+ community,

Growing up, I was an athletic kid, I was in sports year-round for as long as I can remember. As a kid I played in local little league or YMCA soccer, softball/tball, swim team, synchronized swimming, and more. And then I played middle school softball, cheered, ran track for a year, and played one year of lacrosse. In high school I cheered, swam, played softball, and then I became the manager of the middle school softball team, and when I started having knee problems became an assistant softball coach for that team, as my senior project. Like I sort-of mentioned above, I didn’t grow up in a place where a future was visible for me in sports though. I knew there was the potential to play softball and cheer in college, but through extenuating circumstances, that never worked out. I was blessed when I found CHEER Seattle and PCA. It really changed my life to be able to see myself as an athlete again, return to a sport I love, and be my full self in it.

Cheerleading was always a home for me in middle and high school, and it is wonderful to have a home in it again today.

As a kid, I was an avid follower of Philly sports, mainly the Eagles, Flyers, and Phillies. Today my allegiances have slightly shifted to watching Seattle sports every week. But not only that, I’ve been able to find and support women’s sports leagues and teams. I love the Seattle Storm and OL Reign. They have been my favorite sporting events to attend – no shade to the men’s teams, I love Seattle sports. There is something different about it out here, and that is across all of the teams. I love it. My partner, Rose, played field hockey in college, and I loved watching their games. Even when we were states apart, I would pull it up online and stream it to my TV. It is sad – I grew up even myself not giving much weight to women’s sports or the idea that I could love sports, because of the culture I grew up around, and then ever since I have realized how powerful, athletic, and bad ass women’s sports are. All of them. It’s another world.

How are you currently involved in the LGBTQ+ sports community?

I am on the board of directors (and am Secretary) for CHEER Seattle, an affiliate team of PCA. CHEER Seattle (SEA) is an all-adult volunteer nonprofit that raises funds, awareness, and spirits through inspiring performances and inclusive community We perform at a range of events spanning from Seattle Pride celebrations and parade, private parties, cheering on runners at local 5ks, to helping celebrate events for local businesses and communities. We also participate in pride events for our Affiliate PCA teams, compete at events like the Sin City Classic, and Gay Games. Through CSEA, I have been able to connect with other LGBTQIA+ sports leaders and athletes here in the Seattle area and also, I have had the opportunity to speak at events such as the PCA Summit – where I hosted the opening fireside chat and a panel on sports diversity in 2021, and this year for 2022. I produced and delivered a training on inclusive language along with another wonderful PCA leader; spoke at the Compete Sports Summit here in Seattle on a panel about Transgender representation in sports, and through that event earned my SDL certificate, that I am beyond proud of. I am looking forward to opportunities to continue to work with Compete in the future!

Another way that I connect to the queer sports community is through my podcast, Beau my God, and company, Beau my God, LLC. Through these platforms I have had the opportunity to spread awareness and fact-based information on a range of LGBTQIA+ topics including culture, history, current events, and sports. We have covered topics like Brittney Griner’s unjust sentence in Russian prison, anti-trans sports bills being proposed across the country, and more! I have delivered various trainings and presentations on gender vs sex, LGBTQIA+ 101, Gender, Mental Health, and Periods; LGBTQIA+ Implications in the Workplace, and more. Beau my God the Podcast is on Season 3 with over 40 original episodes containing guests such as Trans Filmmaker and the director of Trans in Trumpland, Tony Zosherafatain; Trans Activist and Entrepreneur, Aydian Dowling; Steven Knipp, the Executive Director of GenPride; and various members of Pride Cheerleading Association and CHEER Seattle.

If given the chance, what would you tell/teach your younger self? And/or is there anything you hope to teach the younger generation that may be looking up to you.

If there was anything that I wish I could tell my younger self, it would be to dream big. I spent a lot of my childhood minimizing myself, my presence, my dreams. Trying to be what I thought at the time was feasible and realistic. Now that I am growing into myself, my nonbinaryness, my transness, my queerness, my full and identity, I am realizing just how amazing, and smart, and capable and resilient I am. And I know I am capable of so much more than I have ever given myself credit for. I never pictured living to the age that I currently am. I never thought there was more to life after college and getting married. I never knew that I could be truly whatever I set my mind to, and I have been many things – a Firefighter, EMT, Emergency Dispatcher, a Receptionist, a Snack Bar Manager, a busser, a physical laborer, an Emergency Manager, a treasurer and bookkeeper, an administrative assistant, an office manager, a small business owner, a podcaster. And let’s see what I have yet to be!

What are your future goals?

My future goals are to continue in my passions for LGBTQIA+ advocacy and visibility with a focus on sports and media/communications. I would love to grow my LLC into a publishing and production company, work in sports broadcasting or management, and I am during writing and publishing many different books and projects. I want to do a little bit of everything, have a family, travel the world, and make it a better place. Owning a home would be ideal 🙂

What does Sports Diversity mean to you?

Sports diversity means a lot of things to me. It means creating a space where all people are represented in their journeys. A place where transgender athletes weren’t banned from participating out of biased, unfounded fears. Where women, nonbinary, and intersex people could participate in sports regardless of their testosterone levels, arbitrary and outdated secondary sex characteristic categorizations. A place where we can recognize and credit, monetarily support the cultures and people who created and introduced sports and recreational activities like Yoga. I think that Sports diversity is ensuring that people have a seat at the table to not only participate in their respective sports but have the platform and visibility to share improvements and the betterment of these spaces and groups. It is wonderful to see so many professional athletes come publicly out of the closet, but there are reasons why most are in the closet in the first place. There are reasons that people are afraid to be their full selves in these arenas, and that is where we need the change. Most sports are team sports, and that is how we should tackle issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in athletics. As a team, working together to uplift, support, and show up for our teammates, partners, stakeholders, and friends.