Incredible viral photo of trans masc football team celebrating goal proves power of trans joy
On Trans Day of Visibility, all-trans masc side TRUK United made football history against a cis men’s team. (Lucy Copsey)
A photo of all-trans football team TRUK United FC has racked up millions of views online, sending a message to young trans people everywhere.
TRUK United FC’s all trans-masc team played its inaugural match – the first of its kind in European history – on Trans Day of Visibility (31 March).
About 500 supporters were at Champion Hill stadium to the team play Dulwich Hamlet FC Supporters Team. And while the trans-masc team didn’t go home victorious – they lost 8-1 – a photograph of the moment they celebrated their goal quickly went viral on social media.
The image, which features nearly the entire team, has been viewed millions of times across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
It was taken by Lucy Copsey, a photographer who plays for TRUK United’s women’s team.
Speaking to PinkNews, Copsey said she was snapping away when Parker Dunn found the back of the net, saying it was “luck” that the team ran in her direction.
“I remember looking at it straightaway and thinking how good it was,” Copsey said.
“It’s really powerful. You can just see how happy they are, how passionate they are, jumping up in the air. You can see how much it meant to them and the whole community.”
i cried when i first saw this.
— dani (@exdeedani) April 4, 2023
when i was younger i played in a boys team but i couldnt play any matches because i was “a girl”.
to see now there’s a whole team with men like me makes me cry out of happiness. i’m so overwhelmed to see a future finally for transpeople in sport https://t.co/BReExSpXkw
The sheer joy and delight on their faces.
— Hedonista75 (@HedonistaLibera) April 3, 2023
It’s just beautiful.
TRUK United is not just a football club, it’s a ‘special community’
For many people, the picture represents the sheer joy and thrill that comes from finding your tribe and being involved in team sports – something trans people are increasingly being excluded from as major sporting bodies and schools seek to ban them, particularly trans women, from taking part.
“It’s an ongoing issue, trans people in general are struggling to find somewhere to fit in, where they are able to play,” Copsey said.
“It’s really nice to have [TRUK United] set up so [trans people] know they have a team they can play in.”
The photographer added that the team is more than just a football club, it’s a “special community”.
“The people you are playing with become great friends and obviously everyone’s in the trans community, so everyone understands what you are going through,” she said.
