Transgender mixed martial-arts fighter Fallon breaks barriers
by Ross Forman, Windy City Times
2014-01-08
Fallon Fox, the first openly transgender athlete in MMA ( mixed martial arts ) history, came out publicly March 5, 2013. She has been fighting in and out of the cage, and still continues her battle while also fighting off the grips of Father Time. She is a mother of one teenage daughter and now dating Amy Pierson. Fox has been living in the Chicago area—now, the northwest suburbs—for eight years, coming to the Windy City to escape gender issues within her family. Fox spoke exclusively with Windy City Times' reporter Ross Forman to discuss her battles in and out of the cage, her long-term goals to aid the LGBT community, and more.
Photo gallery at the link:
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/g...readthumbs.php .
Fallon Fox was at a crowded sports bar in the Chicago area on Dec. 28, 2013, among a throng of vocal, dedicated Ultimate Fighting Championship ( UFC ) fans, many anxiously waiting for that Saturday night's women's bantamweight championship bout when Ronda Rousey faced archrival Miesha Tate in the co-main event of UFC 168, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The bout was a culmination of The Ultimate Fighter ( TUF ) 18, a show that showcased Rousey's competitive nature—the same Rousey who, in a 2013 interview with the New York Post, stated that Fox has "an advantage" and that she does not "think it's fair" that Fox fights against females.
After Rousey triumphed, a group of 10 or 15 friends debated the women's side of UFC, debating who might knock Rousey off her throne.
Someone said Fox, and she heard it.
So Fox slowly made her way over the group, ultimately surprising all.
"So, do you think I could beat Ronda Rousey?" she asked with a smile on her face.
The group was shocked. They said they saw her that night at the bar, but none were certain it was Fox the fighter.
Cell phones were quickly converted into camera mode.
She stayed with the group for about five minutes.
"Months ago, I probably wouldn't have don't that," Fox said.
Truly, her life is transitioning.
Fox won her first three MMA fights, but dropped her most recent, on Oct. 12, 2013, to Ashlee Evans-Smith in Coral Gables, Fla.
"I think my record is pretty good, even though I lost my last fight. Hey, every fighter loses at times; it's just something I have to come back from in my next fight," said Fox, who will fight three or four times annually, and has no next fight scheduled, yet. "I am very hard on myself for things I did wrong [in every fight], even if I win the fight. You can never have a perfect fight. I'm very hard on myself, even for the smallest things. But I always learn from my mistakes."
Fox said her MMA career should continue for another few years. But five years from now, she added, "I don't know [if I still will be fighting then], maybe not so much."
She is battling Father Time, not just her in-ring foes and out-of-ring haters—of which there have been plenty. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, for instance, was strongly opposed to Fox. Also, Matt Mitrione has said Fox was "still a man." Mitrione also called her an "embarrassment" and stated that Fox is a "lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak."
"I will never please the haters, and I really don't care about them; I'll never reach them," Fox said. "The ones who love me, I give them all the love back. I stick to them; they are my support. It's the ones who are in the middle of the road, on the fence, who I am trying to reach. They might understand the reality and truth behind the situation.
"It's painful when those people who are really, really hateful, but I'm starting to get used to that; I'm starting to get a thicker skin."
Some haters have been converted, she said, adding that some have even emailed her to admit they have changed.
Not many have changed to now support Fox, probably a dozen, she said.
"I think I am changing minds of people who have never even had to think about the subject. One of the reasons trans people are discriminated against and hated so much, even outside of sports, is because … we're silenced. A lot of us transition and go on with our lives, and live in silence, and not too many people get to hear our stories. I think it's important that we're able to voice our stories, our experiences. This is a very important time for us to get out there, in every sector—to just be yourself."
That's why Fox said her post-fighting career will be within the LGBT community—somehow, in some capacity.
"For me, the coming-out of Fallon Fox was the bravest thing anyone in sports did in 2013," said Cyd Zeigler, co-founder of Outsports.com . "We've made so many great strides for LGBT athletes, but MMA is still deeply transphobic. Fallon came out in a sport that many believe is specially designed to rightfully exclude her and everyone like her. She has had to bear the brunt of brutal attacks from fans and other fighters. She has had her personal life dissected by state boxing commissions. Through it all, she's been a fighter. Fallon is my hero, and I hope I can meet hatred and ignorance as bravely as she has."
Fox is, without question, a trailblazer, which she said is "a lot of responsibility."
"There are a lot of people, especially young people, who say that I am their hero, their role model, so I feel like I have to live up to that expectation. It's been pretty surreal," Fox said. "I was pretty sure before I came out that something like this likely would happen, but being the first, and so [prominent] in the media, is something that I don't think anyone can prepare themselves for that."
Fox has been living in the Chicago area for about the past eight years, coming to the Windy City to "escape my situation in Toledo, Ohio." Fox was born in Toledo, has served in the U.S. military, and has one daughter, 17, who calls Fox "Mom."
Her family was not accepting of her personal issues, so she left for Chicago—at the urging of a straight male friend she knew from her military stint.
"[It] was a hostile environment as far as family goes, and I just needed to get away and start over, so I came here—and Chicago has been a very nurturing place for me," Fox said. "I suppose I didn't know what to expect when I came here; I didn't know too much about Chicago. But it's been nice, really good to be here.
"But I don't like the cold so much. If it could be warm here year-round, I would be in paradise."
Fox said some family members have "started to come around" over the past couple of years and be more accepting. But still, her closest family member is her younger brother.