"Life Is Not a Competition, But I'm Winning" (2023), a documentary by Julia Fuhr Mann, provides a fresh and powerful examination of gender, sports, and societal norms, highlighting the experiences of queer, trans, and intersex athletes who have been marginalized by traditional competitive structures. Through a blend of historical exploration, personal testimonies, and imaginative re-envisioning, the film critiques the ways in which sports, particularly at the highest levels, have perpetuated discrimination and exclusion.
Rather than focusing on the usual narrative of suffering to drive the plot, Fuhr Mann uses moments of collective solidarity and community to offer a counter-narrative, ultimately imagining a future where non-normative bodies can thrive in a truly inclusive sports environment. Documentary filmmaking often relies on depicting the struggles of its protagonists to create emotional tension and narrative drama. However, this approach frequently ends up exploiting the very pain it seeks to depict, turning the suffering of individuals into spectacle. "Life Is Not a Competition, But I'm Winning" purposefully avoids this trap, instead highlighting utopian moments of unity and empowerment among its subjects. Rather than using pain as a driving force for the narrative, Fuhr Mann’s film shows how queer athletes come together to support one another, offering a vision of collective care that contrasts sharply with the violence and exclusion they have faced.
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A key element of the documentary is its production team: the project was made exclusively by women and queer people. This choice was not only about representation, but also about ensuring that the personal experiences and perspectives of the crew shaped the film’s creation. By centering the experiences of those often pushed to the margins, Fuhr Mann creates a space where the stories of queer athletes are treated with respect and empathy, avoiding the exploitative tendencies common in documentaries that focus on marginalized communities. The film is, in many ways, a reclamation of both personal and collective histories, giving a platform to voices that have often been ignored in the mainstream narratives surrounding sports. The documentary takes us through a journey that challenges the structures of competitive sports, particularly in the Olympic context. It follows a group of queer athletes who visit iconic sporting venues, such as the Olympic Stadium in Athens, to honor the legacies of those who were excluded from standing on the winners' podium. Among these athletes is Amanda Reiter, a trans marathon runner who faces prejudice from sports organizers and spectators alike, and Annet Negesa, an intersex 800-meter runner who was forced to undergo hormone-altering surgery by international sports federations. Together, they create a radical reimagining of competitive sports, one that moves away from rigid gender rules and towards a more inclusive and equitable future.
The film’s critique of sports’ historical and ongoing treatment of gender nonconforming bodies is sharp and pointed. Fuhr Mann highlights issues like unequal pay, hyper-feminization, genital checks, and the policing of bodies in the name of “fair play.” These struggles are not just theoretical but are embodied by the athletes featured in the film, whose experiences are documented with honesty and vulnerability. The inclusion of archival Olympic footage, intimate conversations with athletes, and a mix of visual styles, including stylized color filters and collage-like editing, adds a layer of creativity and dynamism to the film’s examination of these issues. The narrative is also strengthened by its exploration of the history of gender and race in competitive sports. For instance, the film revisits the 1928 Olympics, where women were allowed to compete in the 800-meter race for the first time. The race was marred by the collapse of one of the competitors, leading to the event’s cancellation until 1960. The film reimagines this moment, giving overdue recognition to Lina Radke, Germany’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist in track and field, whose achievement was overshadowed by the focus on the collapsed athlete. In doing so, "Life Is Not a Competition, But I'm Winning" critiques how history has often erased the accomplishments of women and other marginalized groups.
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The film also touches on the experiences of modern-day athletes, such as Ugandan runner Annet Negesa, who was forced to undergo surgery to lower her testosterone levels in order to compete in the women’s category. Negesa’s story is a powerful example of the harm done by the medical policing of athletes' bodies, particularly for those with natural testosterone levels that are considered outside the “norm.” By focusing on these personal stories, Fuhr Mann sheds light on the ongoing discrimination faced by athletes who do not conform to traditional gender norms, particularly in the context of international sports organizations that enforce arbitrary and harmful rules. In addition to these powerful personal accounts, the film’s visuals and editing techniques offer a unique perspective on the subject matter. Fuhr Mann incorporates a wide range of visual styles, from archival footage to contemporary scenes, blending them to create a sense of continuity between the past and present struggles of marginalized athletes. The use of digital compositing, in which contemporary queer athletes are inserted into historical footage, is particularly striking. This technique allows the film to make a statement about solidarity and the ongoing fight for equality, while also acknowledging the historical erasure of athletes from marginalized communities.
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The documentary also critiques the pervasive myths about the superiority of cisgender male athletes in comparison to women and trans athletes. Through subtle yet powerful moments, such as comparing the natural advantages of male athletes like Michael Phelps with the scrutiny faced by women with high testosterone levels, Fuhr Mann questions the very foundations of the so-called “fairness” in sports. The film highlights the hypocrisy of these arguments, challenging the assumptions that have long governed the categorization of athletes based on gender. While the film’s tone is serious and its critique of sports’ gendered and racist structures is clear, it also offers moments of hope and possibility. The collective of queer athletes featured in the film represents an alternative vision for the future of competitive sports-one that is free from the rigid and harmful gender classifications that have long been entrenched in the system. Their solidarity and support for one another serve as a powerful reminder of what could be possible if all athletes were given the freedom to perform without the constraints of discriminatory rules and expectations. In terms of its impact, "Life Is Not a Competition, But I'm Winning" is a timely and thought-provoking contribution to the broader conversation about gender, sports, and equality. Fuhr Mann’s approach is unconventional, moving away from the standard debate format often used in discussions about trans athletes, and instead focusing on the lived experiences of those who have been most affected by the inequities in the system.
The film presents a compelling argument for a more inclusive and equitable future for sports, while also offering a vision of collective healing and solidarity that transcends the limitations of the current system. In conclusion, Julia Fuhr Mann’s "Life Is Not a Competition, But I’m Winning" is a groundbreaking documentary that not only exposes the injustices faced by queer, trans, and intersex athletes but also imagines a future where these athletes can thrive in a more inclusive and supportive environment. Through its combination of personal stories, historical analysis, and innovative filmmaking techniques, the film provides a powerful and hopeful critique of the current state of competitive sports and calls for a radical reimagining of what fair play can and should look like.
Image credits: YouTube
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