Women’s Basketball Guards Discuss Inclusion and Identities on the Court

Ashley McDermott ’26

Executive Sports Editor

Last week, the Trinity Tripod sat down with women’s basketball players senior guard captain #5 Maya Carnes ’26 and junior guard #7 Olivia Vick ’27 to talk about queer identities in athletics, specifically on Trinity’s campus. The women’s basketball team has been a part of the athletic program since 1975, earning a winning record. In 1995, the team made their NCAA debut. In the 2022-2023 season, they earned their best record yet, at 25-6. 

Vick shared that “our team is very inclusive and supportive. I have never feared sharing or expressing my identity and have always been welcomed in all ways. My teammates have always treated me with respect and especially with the way I present.  I also think having a coach from the LGBTQ+ community provides a role model and support system that I am able to look up to and feel comfortable sharing with.” Carnes added that “the team is extremely supportive of LGBTQ+ players. We have multiple players who are out, and our head coach is also an openly gay woman and brings her son and wife around us very often. I think that this has helped to bring more perspective to our straight teammates’ lives and made them learn more about the LGBTQ+ community.” 

This environment has provided comfort for the players. “I have personally never had any interactions where I needed to address somebody or go to anybody because of an issue related to my sexuality but I have felt nothing but love from every coach, trainer, and staff member,” Vick told the Tripod. “A resource that I have really appreciated was Dr. Anita Davis, our team liaison who is vice president of DEI. She has always provided a safe space for me in multiple aspects and has always made me feel welcome to come to her for whatever I need.” 

Carnes said that “the athletic department and coaching staff are aware of the presence of the LGBTQ+ community. I personally have always felt welcome as my complete self. In the athletic department, I have the privilege to serve on the DEI Committee, and we’ve had multiple conversations around the needs of LGBTQ+ athletes at Trinity and have taken action, especially with the NCAA Legislation on trans athletes competing in sports.” Carnes continued by saying that “athletics has taken the initiative to provide gender-neutral changing rooms for any athlete who may need it, which may seem like a small change, however the intentionality and commitment to make sure it is something we absolutely have at our institution is really important, and to also show that we view this as essential shows that we truly value every single student athlete at Trinity no matter their identity.” 

When asked about the amount of LGBTQ+ players in athletics, Vick said “there is a fairly large gay community within a lot of the women’s sports, but I wouldn’t say there is a lot of effort to be explicitly visible. Something I have personally noticed at Trinity, coming from a more diverse and bigger city, there is a lot more implicit pressure to conform and with that comes a bit of a gap in outward expression, especially when taking LGBTQ+ identities into mind. I also know that there is a bit of a stigma around being gay or queer within athletics and college sports specifically. I think that the representation within athletics is present but there is always more work to be done when speaking about visibility for LGBTQ+ athletes.” 

Carnes added, “I would say among women’s sports there is a higher percentage of LGBTQ+ identities and it really does feel like a small community, and I think that our teams do a really good job of supporting us and valuing us as individuals.” On embracing their identities, Vick states, “my identity as well as my athletic career have been deeply intertwined and an integral part of accepting who I am. Embracing my identity since a young child has made me very secure in how I present and how I identify, and basketball has done nothing but help me feel more safe and comfortable in that. In this sport, there are so many opportunities to be around so many different types of people, and I have learned that being myself is the best way to represent who I am and what I stand for. My self expression has always been such a big part of myself and learning to nurture that as I have grown into the woman I am here at Trinity, especially with the people I have had the pleasure to meet and call my friends, has been so impactful to me.” 

“Something that I love about being queer,” Carnes continued, “and especially visibly more masculine-presenting, is that it has allowed me to be unapologetically myself, which was not always easy, but has given me so much confidence in who I am and how I may choose to express myself. This has only extended to my confidence on the court, and I especially noticed this as I became more confident in my own identity. I always try to just be myself wherever I go, and by doing that off the court, it has shown me how important that is on the court as well. I noticed I always play my best when I am being myself and embracing the strengths and uniqueness in my own game, which I would say is the same for my life off of the court.” 

These players shared that their friendship has been an affirming relationship, on and off the court. Vick said that “one of the most affirming relationships I’ve had on my team and at Trinity is with Maya. Since the very beginning of my freshman year, Maya has been one of my closest friends. We clicked instantly, because we have very similar personalities and work ethics, but we also instantly gravitated towards each other because of how we present. She is one of the only masculine-presenting women on campus who also happens to have a very similar style to me, so I was so grateful to have her on my team especially when I was newer to the school and unaware of how comfortable others would be with my expression. We have gotten so close with each other and been able to bond over basketball and our personal lives. Seeing someone that I am so close to be so unapologetically herself makes me so much more inclined to embrace myself as well. I know that we have a bond that will last a lifetime and I am so grateful that Trinity brought us together.”

Carnes shared this sentiment, saying, “Olivia Vick is my best friend. We pretty much are inseparable, and she’s been such an amazing friend to me since I first met her.  When we first met, I immediately admired the amount of confidence that Liv carries herself with on and off the court. She made me feel safe and proud to be more myself and has given me so much confidence in my identity because of our friendship. We sometimes joke that I became gayer when we met. Having someone that is similar to you and seeing them live so comfortably in their own identity is such an inspiring thing to be around and I’m very lucky to have a friend like that in my life. I appreciate our friendship so much for the comfort and validation it gives to me. We are very similar (and also very different in other ways) in terms of our gender/identity expression, mindset and interests. It’s helped me to feel so seen not only in our friendship but also to myself and how I live my life every day. I am so appreciative to have a queer friend like Liv!”