Britain's first transgender boxer to fight in a professional contest against a cisgender male opponent has spoken of his battle to compete in the sport he loves. Danny Baker, 34, was born in a female body but transitioned in his 20s and then pursued his dream to become a professional male boxer. Now Danny has become the first British transgender male boxer to fight in bouts against cisgender male opponents. 'Cisgender' is a term used for someone who identifies with the sex and gender they were assigned at birth. Danny said: “When I’m boxing, I feel like the man I am - I feel included by the boxing community and I don’t feel trans, I just feel like a man. “My testosterone levels are kept within the natural human amount – when it comes to sport, I don’t have an advantage. “I want to see more trans women, more trans youth, I want to see everyone come out and get the exposure they deserve – why should we stay hidden away?” Danny Baker, 34, a support worker from Enfield, London, first realised he was transgender when he was 21 after watching a documentary about the subject. He had always felt like a man but was born in a female body and wasn’t aware that transgender people existed. Growing up, Danny had several run-ins with the law and found himself in and out of jail 13 times by the time he was 25. It wasn’t until he began to pursue his dream of being a boxer that he moved away from the lifestyle he had found himself embroiled in, where he says he was exploited by older people into selling drugs. Now, he advocates for trans people in sports and works with LGBTQ+ youth to provide support and help to those who were in his position.
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