Christina Kahrl is an American sports writer and activist.
Background
Kahrl was born on November 6, 1967. Kahrl earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Chicago in 1990 and a master’s degree from Loyola University of Chicago in 2000.
Kahrl was one of the cofounders of the baseball analytics think tank Baseball Prospectus in 1996.
Kahrl has written for SportsIllustrated.com, Cosmopolitan, Playboy, Salon.com, Slate, the New York Sun, and the Washington Blade.
Kahrl made a gender transition in 2003, at age 35. Kahrl and gender diverse partner Charley Mae Wanamaker began a relationship in 2009 and got married in 2014. At some point Kahrl entered into a relationship with Faye Kennett.
Activism
Kahrl joined the board of GLAAD in 2013 and was a key figure in the 2014 transbian attacks led by Parker Molloy that were critical of drag artists and the offensive language some of them use.
#FistBumpNoSlurs was a hashtag used by supporters of transgender athlete Fallon Fox.
Trans representation on GLAAD’s board is a recent occurrence. I have volunteered with GLAAD for years, including presenting to their board on trans issues when there were no trans board members. That’s why I cannot believe I lived to see the day when a GLAAD board member felt privileged enough to show her true colors about my friends in the transgender community who’ve identified as drag queens or kings at some point in their lives:
Anyone that out of touch with transgender history, and the ongoing value that drag continues to bring to our community culturally, politically, and financially, has no business serving on the GLAAD board. Having Kahrl on the GLAAD board is like having someone on the Anti-Defamation League board who dislikes certain kinds of Jews.
Despite being privately given evidence of Molloy’s abusive behavior to other community members, Kahrl continues to be one of Parker Molloy’s closest friends and staunchest supporters, because their experiences and worldview are so similar.
According to Molloy, Kahrl is the source of the false claim that I want to see Molloy commit suicide.
References
Staff report (Summer 2021). Christina Kahrl, AB’90. The University of Chicago Magazine https://mag.uchicago.edu/law-policy-society/christina-kahrl-ab90
James, Andrea (July 24, 2014). The GLAAD Board’s “Tranny” Trouble: How Its Trans Takeover Is Reshaping LGBT Politics. Queerty https://www.queerty.com/the-glaad-boards-tranny-trouble-how-its-trans-takeover-is-reshaping-lgbt-politics-20140724 [archive]
Davis, Brendan (November 8, 2013). Meet GLAAD’s new board co-chairs! https://glaad.org/blog/meet-glaads-new-board-co-chairs [archive]
Forman, Ross (November 19, 2013). Christina Kahrl reflects on World Series, joins GLAAD Board. Windy City Times https://windycitytimes.com/2013/11/19/christina-kahrl-reflects-on-world-series-joins-glaad-board/
Forman, Ross (July 14, 2010). Christina Kahrl continues to blaze trails. Windy City Times https://windycitytimes.com/2010/07/14/christina-kahrl-continues-to-blaze-trails/
Hoekstra, Dave (May 11, 2006). Short for Christina: Meet the former Christopher Kahrl, one of the best-known female baseball experts in the country. Chicago Reader https://chicagoreader.com/news/short-for-christina/
Resources
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
San Francisco Chronicle (sfchronicle.com)
- Christina Kahrl
- sfchronicle.com/author/christina-kahrl
The Sun (nysun.com)
- Christina Kahrl [archive]
- nysun.com/authors/Christina+Kahrl