The 11th edition of the worldwide Gay Games gets underway this weekend, with events being held simultaneously in both Hong Kong and Guadalajara. In Mexico, DW caught up with one of the competitors, trans woman Noemi Arzate, for whom football offers not just recreation but a vital space of acceptance and inclusion.
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00:00 Finding refuge in football has been a blessing for Noemi Arzate.
00:05 I think football has changed my life completely.
00:11 It's like getting to live again after experiencing and suffering so many things.
00:17 Throughout her upbringing, Arzate sought a safe space in vain.
00:23 But ten years ago, playing football at El Barril in Azcapotzalco in Mexico City,
00:29 she found what she was looking for.
00:31 The value of sport in her life nowadays is immense.
00:35 It has helped me forget all the many bad things I have experienced in my life.
00:44 It has also helped me grow personally and professionally,
00:50 and become a more disciplined person.
00:57 According to advocacy group Transgender Europe,
01:00 the trans-femicide rate in Mexico is the second highest in the world.
01:04 Noemi hopes the upcoming Gay Games will be a landmark moment for inclusion in her country.
01:11 Imagine what it is to have an event as big as the Gay Games, where we are made visible.
01:20 Giving visibility to trans women in sport is something good,
01:24 as well as taking part in the sporting competition.
01:28 Noemi will participate in the upcoming events as part of a team of trans women.
01:34 Win or lose, there is sure to be plenty of celebration at this year's Gay Games.