‘There’s a world of difference between accepting and tolerating trans people’

“People of McMaster celebrates the incredible people who help make McMaster a great place to work, learn, teach and conduct research. Click here for the rest of the series . Rayna Trepanier was about to call the most important game in her 18-year career as a baseball umpire and trying hard to keep it together. She’d been chosen to work the plate for the gold medal game at Baseball Canada’s 19U Women’s National Championships in Calgary last July. She got the nod based on how well she’d called games earlier in the tournament. The weather was perfect. The stands were packed. The view from home plate — with the Canadian Rockies looming in the near horizon over the outfield fence — was spectacular. And then the starting lineups and officiating crew were introduced over the loudspeaker. She had just started publicly using Rayna after coming out as a trans woman. Unlike at work, no one in the crowd or in the dugouts knew her as anyone other than Rayna Trepanier. Hearing her name echo through the ballpark was both a quintessential baseball and a life-defining moment. “I somehow managed to keep it together,” says Rayna. “I honestly do not know how I did it. But crying before the first pitch isn’t a good look for an umpire.” On the back of the scorecard she carried in her pocket, she had written “breathe” and “this game is fun”. She looked at the card after every half-inning. When she’s not calling balls and strikes, Rayna is the graduate support officer for the Faculty of Science. She’s been in the role since 2019, working with the associate dean of Graduate Studies and the associate chairs of Graduate Studies in the faculty’s eight departments and schools. “Rayna brings positive energy and enthusiasm to everything she does,” says Acting Associate Dean Laura Parker. “Everyone in the Dean’s Office knows her, and she’s incredibly approachable. She connects especially well with graduate students and works closely with groups like Science Graduate Student Association and Women in Science and Engineering, helping build a strong, supportive community.” Rayna Trepanier umpires at Baseball Canada’s 19U Women’s National Championships in Calgary in 2025. Let’s start by tossing out a softball question, pun intended. How’d you end up in this role? I’m a two-time Mac grad with a Bachelor and a Master of Arts in English. After graduation, I taught in South Korea and then came back to Canada to work as a communications assistant and social media coordinator. I also did a stint as a monster during Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland. I then got hired to work as a liaison officer at McMaster, welcoming prospective students and their families to campus. A friend was wrapping up their work as a graduate support officer in the Faculty of Science and encouraged me to apply for the job. The role was still a work in progress when I was hired. What’s the favourite part of your job and what are you most proud of accomplishing? The best part of my job is getting to work with so many different groups of people from across the Faculty of Science and Mac — grad students, faculty and staff. While we’re all doing different jobs, we share the same passion for academia. I’m most proud of creating the annual Graduate Research Symposium. It’s a daylong showcase of graduate student research in the Faculty of Science. Around 100 grad students and their supervisors attend. We’re coming up on our fifth year. As a grad student, you don’t often get the chance to see students from other parts of the Faculty of Science or even from research groups in your own department or school. The symposium creates that opportunity to not only talk about research but also life as a grad student. Last year you came out as a trans woman. How did your colleagues in the Dean’s Office and across McMaster react? I’m very lucky to work at McMaster. There were no issues or problems. Long before I even realized I was trans, I felt comfortable enough to experiment here at work. At a university staff event about seven years ago a booth had pronoun tags, and I very quietly picked out a he/they button. That was sort of the beginning. It would take a global pandemic and a few more years before I had the courage to be a woman in public and at work. I had select group of coworkers who were incredibly supportive right from the start and that made a real difference. They were my cheerleaders. Others initially didn’t know what to say so they said nothing at all — which was fine, but it doesn’t spark the same joy that affirmation does. I was one of those coworkers who said nothing, even though we’d worked together for seven years. Yes you were, but that’s okay. Some people are afraid of making a mistake and saying something inappropriate or hurtful. I told all my colleagues not to worry and encouraged them to ask me anything — there are no wrong questions if they’re being asked from a good place. Everyone’s far more comfortable now. We have really good conversations. I’ll joke about things — I’ve always tried to lighten any room I’m in. After all, life is humour. So beyond using the right pronouns, what can we do to be better allies for trans students, faculty and staff? Well, using correct pronouns is pretty easy — mine are she /her. And using your own pronouns in meetings and on your emails shows that you’re cognizant of creating a safer space. That’s a quick crash course of Trans 101. But to go beyond that, to be a strong ally, I would recommend that people be more intentional about checking in with their trans colleagues and students. Ask how we’re doing, especially if there’s something going on in the world that affects the trans community. In those moments, it’s good to know there are people who genuinely care about our well-being and just as importantly, are making an effort to be aware of the things that might be affecting us in our day-to-day lives There’s a world of difference between accepting and tolerating trans people. Tolerance is very passive and doesn’t require much, if any, effort. It’s basically just the absence of outward hate. I think we can do better, as a society. Like everyone else, we just want to be accepted for who we are. Checking in and asking how we’re doing, and embracing our identities — that feels a lot more like acceptance and care. What’s the hardest thing about being a trans woman? How much time do I have here? I’m kidding. If I had to pick one single thing, I think it’s this pressure to be exceptional all the time in everything we do. This isn’t unique to the trans experience — a lot of equity-deserving groups experience this as well. We can’t afford to be a flawed human being. Any mistake we make as an individual gets extrapolated to the entire group. Our flaws should serve as be proof that we’re just like everyone else and should be treated the same way. Ok, back to baseball. You’ve been an umpire since 2008. What made you want to call balls and strikes? I played baseball and hockey growing up. I was a pitcher who didn’t throw hard but I had good control and could throw strikes. In my teens I wanted to do other things besides sports so I chose hockey over baseball. Looking back, that was the wrong choice. Baseball is the best game in the world. I was an undergrad at Mac when I started working as an umpire. It seemed like a good way to make money and reconnect with a game I missed. I had no idea what it took to become an umpire — I did a Google search and figured it out. I umpire nights and weekends and during vacations. At this point, I’ve easily done more than 1,000 games. What do you love about umpiring? So many things! Can I say the absolute power? In all seriousness, I like the fact that as an umpire, you get to set the tone for the game. I want the ballpark to be this fun place to hang out. Baseball’s a “pastime” after all, so I want that time to be well-spent. I love being a part of the game and being of service — I hope that the game and that day at the ballpark are better because I’m there. This year, I’ve taken on more of a mentoring role. Helping to develop rookie umpires has been incredibly rewarding. There’s a lot to learn on the job. It can be overwhelming when you’re starting out. And way too many young umpires quit after a year or two because of how they are treated by some coaches and parents. They certainly don’t get away with anything when I’m on the diamond with a younger partner. Has being a trans woman been an issue while umpiring games? Players and coaches have been fine. I think last year, no one really knew I was a trans woman. It will likely be different this season. I’m one year further along into my transition and I’m wearing more make-up and overall just presenting even more feminine than last year. I’m also a lot more confident in correcting players who misgender me, even if it’s out of respect, like using “sir” or “Mr. Umpire”. I’ve found the younger the players and coaches, the more likely they are to use the right pronouns. From spring to fall, you spend your nights, weekends and vacations umpiring. So what do you do during the offseason? I’m really into curling. Curling has probably been the most inclusive community I’ve found so far. Next to hearing my name called at the gold medal game, my second best day as an out trans woman happened at a women’s curling bonspiel at my local curling club, just a month after I’d started my transition. There were 64 women at the event and everyone made me feel welcome. I was accepted. It was the first time I’d felt that at a public event. Last question — I have to ask, what monster did you play during Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland? I played a ventriloquist dummy named “Charlie”. I do not have the words to describe how much fun I had scaring unsuspecting patrons during Haunt. I definitely leaned into the creepy mischievousness that is so synonymous with evil dolls. I like to tell people that was my first paid acting gig. Every now and then, I still pull out the Charlie voice to unsuspecting victims. If McMaster ever hosts a haunted house, my services are available. The post ‘There’s a world of difference between accepting and tolerating trans people’ appeared first on McMaster News .

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