To further our commitment and mission for HMF Events to be inclusive to all, we're happy to provide new registration options to better reflect the diverse individuals participating in races. Starting with 2022 events, the option for non-binary or "prefer not to say" are within what has traditionally been offered as male or female categories.
All participants will continue to be included and displayed within overall results. With the updated options, those selecting non-binary will also be viewable as a division with participants eligible for non-binary division awards. Those that select "prefer not to say" will be included in overall results but not eligible for division awards.
Runner up in the non-binary division in Sunday's Resolution Run 5K, Jess Reed of Southington shared their thoughts on the experience:
Jess Reed, right |
I think it's awesome that HMF now has a non-binary gender option when registering for races. In the past - I've often felt that I've had to misgender myself when registering for a race, by only having male or female to choose from. For some people having to pick either male or female can cause dysphoria. I think it's wonderful that HMF is being inclusive and is encouraging diversity.
At Sunday's race, there were two non-binary people who raced and were division winners, and I hope that number will continue to grow as more people see that there is a non-binary division being offered.
We appreciate the feedback from our community to make this change happen and we welcome participants in the division in future events!