Trans swimmer Lev Goldberg on preparing for an epic lake-crossing and becoming a trailblazer

Making the 51-kilometre journey across Lake Ontario is a daunting feat for any athlete, but for transgender swimmer Lev Goldberg, it could also be a record-breaking one. Goldberg is training to become the first openly transgender person to make the crossing, with the goal of proving that — even amid increasing hostility toward trans people in sports — there are no limits to what transgender people can achieve.

Goldberg loved swimming as a child, but quit the sport at age 10, not realizing at the time that his discomfort was due to gender dysphoria. It wasn't until after he received gender-affirming care that he gained the confidence to dive back in. An experienced marathon runner, Goldberg trained as a swimmer and aimed to cover long distances in a test of endurance. Now, he wants to share his journey with transgender Canadians across the country and inspire trans youth to pursue their dreams.

Goldberg has been training with the Lake Ontario Swim Team in Oakville, Ont., several members of which have already completed the crossing. He has a GoFundMe to help cover costs (from boat escorts and navigators to supplies and training support), and plans to donate surplus funds to LGBT Youthline. The Canadian organization, dear to Goldberg's heart, provides peer support for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals under the age of 30.

Ahead of the historic swim at the end of August, CBC Life connected with Goldberg. He spoke  about how he's preparing to make this meaningful — and epic — 24-hour crossing, why it's important to him that it be sanctioned (by the provincial body Solo Swims of Ontario that governs marathon swims), and what advice he has for other trans people looking to get into sport.

This interview has been edited and condensed. 

You've said that you've always been very comfortable in cold water. I'm really curious about this part of your training. 

Cold water training's important for me — first of all, just because I like it. It gives me really strong endorphins. And it also acclimatizes my body to the cold. So we're talking, right now, like temperatures between 8 and 12 Celsius. 

When I do my crossing, I have a weather window, and they pick the day based on optimal temperature. And people consider optimal temperature for a lake crossing to be like, 20 to 23 degrees — cold for a swimming pool, but much, much warmer. 

But the thing with Lake Ontario is it's very big and it's very deep. So as you're crossing it, there's different factors that can churn up cold water from the bottom, like if a tanker passes anywhere near you. Suddenly it may become 15 degrees or suddenly it may become 13 degrees for a couple hours. 

And then there's the end of the swim. The currents from the Humber River kind of push you back away from Toronto, so you're expending the most energy, you're pushing the hardest to move the slowest, and it gets slightly colder. It might go from, like, 20 to 17.

For the majority of people, when you're so fatigued and so tired, that 17 degrees is going to feel extremely, extremely cold. So I want to condition my body to where I get to that 17 degrees, and it's almost like, "Hmm, what a nice relief. This is cooling my engine," or at the very least, like it's not going to end my swim. 

Why is it important to you that this one be a sanctioned crossing?

Well, because no openly transgender person has ever done this, so I want it to be official, sanctioned, recognized first. No openly transgender person has ever swum across any of the five Great Lakes. I actually can't find any information about any openly transgender marathon swimmer existing. So, I really, really want to be that representation. I hope that this leads other transgender marathon swimmers to reach out to me and I can meet them, because I just simply have not been able to find anyone. 

Is that also the reason why this challenge is significant to you?

Totally. And I wanted to make sure that it was something that's done not just for visibility and representation, but to give something materially back to the community that supported me, so it is a fundraiser for LGBT Youthline. They were such a big part of my life when I was first transitioning.

What have been the highlights of getting ready, both expected and unexpected?

I love training for things. I just have a sole purpose and I'm very, very focused on it, and it makes me so happy. 

Unexpected highlights would definitely be experiencing everyone who's shown up for me to support me and be part of this. Friends, family — my sister has gotten really, really involved in this, and has been spearheading reaching out to sponsors and doing social media and publicity. It's been so positive how people have responded and how much support I've gotten.

What would you say are the biggest issues that trans people face in sports?

I know there's so much transphobia — and specifically transmisogyny — in the debate about trans people, and specifically trans women in competitive sports.

My personal experience has been more as just a regular person trying to access City of Toronto facilities. Some are extremely accessible for trans people and for people who just need more privacy in terms of changing. 

I navigate other facilities where it's this binary, gendered facility. I'm able to navigate that space because I'm a binary trans person who is passing, but most people are not going to feel safe in those spaces, and I know that pre–top surgery, I did not feel safe in those spaces. 

In terms of accessing sports, that is what kept me out of the gym, the locker room, et cetera, for so long. And I know for a lot of people, it's still keeping them out. 

In terms of racing, both running races and swimming races, oftentimes everyone registers based on their gender, and there's not a third gender category. So for myself, I always just register as male, and that's comfortable for me, but there's a lot of people in my life who would prefer to not categorize themselves in that way. But I see more and more running races have, like, a non-binary category, which is fantastic.

Is there anyone who you look up to in the world of sports? 

In the world of marathon swimming, I really admire Vicki Keith. She swam across all five Great Lakes, and she did that in one summer. She's from Kingston, Ontario, so she's local. 

Another marathon swimmer who I admire is Lynne Cox. She's an ice swimmer. She's done some really amazing cold-water swims, and she's done them to support causes and political ideologies that are important to her. I think doing marathon swims in the context of bettering the world for people is a beautiful thing. 

In terms of other athletics, there's an awesome trans ultramarathoner named Cal Dobbs. He's the first openly trans person to run across the USA, and he did that as a way to connect with and engage community and raise money to combat anti-trans legislation a few years back. So I think what he's done is really, really cool.

What would you say to other trans people who would really like to get into sports but may feel hesitant? 

I would say see if you can find your people. See if you can find a group, whether that's a swim club or a run club, that can help you get introduced to what you are interested in doing and offer you a safe space to do it. 

Research which of the community centres have facilities that are going to make you feel comfortable. Even if that's knowing, OK, it's a gendered change room. So like, how do I work around that, and how do I make sure that I'm safe and comfortable? 

And I would say start small. Like if you're not ready to go to the pool, find a bathing suit that works for you, find some goggles that work for you. Just take it one step at a time. 

Any step you take towards what you want to do is fantastic. Just remember why it's important to you and why you want to do it, because you deserve to be in this space, and you belong in this space as much as anyone else.

Are there any resources out there that are supporting trans youth with getting into sports or addressing the issues you've highlighted?

There are a lot of awesome queer run clubs in Toronto, so if folks are interested in running, there's different options. I know Frontrunners Toronto is one. Queer Run Club is another. 

In terms of swimming, Queer and Trans Swim Club is an amazing resource currently on pause, but hopefully back next year. There's also a really great group called Purple Fins. I've swam with them as well, and the way they brand themselves is a gender-free swim club. They practise at Wellesley [Community Centre], which has gender-neutral change rooms. 

After you swim across Lake Ontario, what's next for you?

I want to do all five Great Lakes. Each one that I did, I would be the first trans person to cross it, and if I did all five, I would not only be the first openly trans person, I would be the first man [to make sanctioned crossings]. So, it would be a huge, huge undertaking. 

Where can we follow along with your journey?

My Instagram is @lev.swims.lakes, and I have a website, levswimslakes.ca. Those are the places to find me.