MIAMI — It may seem like just a checkbox on an application form, but for runners such as Calla Hummel, Isadoro Saturno and Diego Tomasino, seeing “non-binary” as an option in the Life Time Miami Marathon and Half meant so much more.
“It’s important for me that I’m able to register under my gender identity,” said Hummel, a 34-year-old political science professor at the University of Miami. “There’s a lot of things in my life where I need to register, and the options are male or female. I do it every day, and it’s annoying and frustrating.
“So, it’s nice when I have an option that actually matches my gender identity so when I’m publicly assigned to a group, as you are in sporting events, I’m assigned to a group I actually identify with. … It’s a relief to have a recognized option that describes my experience after 30 years of trying to shoehorn myself into female, which never felt adequate or comfortable.”
