Julie Kliegman brings Renée Richards’ story into full view
Join us and trauma-informed wellness practitioner, Charlie Trotman, for a community wellness check-in on Thursday, July 16.
Table of Contents
Looking for our coverage newsletter? You can subscribe to one, the other, or both by adjusting your Ghost subscription settings.
Meet TJA member Julie Kliegman
When transgender tennis player Renée Richards won the right to compete in the women's category at the 1977 U.S. Open by suing the U.S. Tennis Association over a gender-verification test that could bar her, she made history. The story made headlines at the time, but the coverage rarely framed her as what she was: a sports pioneer. Almost fifty years later, journalist and TJA member Julie Kliegman set out to tell her full story in the new biography "Finding Renée Richards."
Kliegman first got interested in stories like Richards’ while cutting their teeth covering trans athletes for Sports Illustrated. "I was fascinated by how someone could navigate a transition and fight for the right to play decades ago," Kliegman says.
Tennis runs through the whole story as a steadying force in Richards' life, something Kliegman found resonates with how trans athletes describe their relationship to sports today. That continuity is part of why Kliegman still considers Richards a pioneer. Although her 1977 case didn't set legal precedent, it gave trans people something to hold onto at a time when there wasn't much else. Richards had already become arguably the most famous trans person in the country, and her visibility helped shape how the public understood trans experiences years later.
Richards is now in her nineties, and her views on trans athletes today don't always line up with where the broader community stands. Kliegman didn't want to shy away from that, but they also didn't want it to overshadow Richards' significance. "I emphasized the importance of telling her story as a trans elder while also clearly communicating where my own views differ from Renée's," they say. That balance mattered: honoring Richards' history while being honest about generational differences.
"I want readers to wrestle with the complexities of a prominent trans figure who holds views that may be uncomfortable," Kliegman says. It's a nuanced way to approach a trans elder's story, and reflects Kliegman's belief that we can learn from complicated figures without discarding their legacy or importance.
Writing about Richards' decades-long transition brought its own set of thoughtful choices, too. How do you describe a transition from decades ago without imposing today's language on it? How much medical detail actually serves the reader? And what name and pronouns should stand in for a subject's past self? On that last question, Kliegman followed Richards' wishes, with guidance from TJA and our Stylebook and Coverage Guide.
Kliegman sees "Finding Renée Richards" as part of a broader, ongoing conversation about sex testing in sports, alongside books like "The Other Olympians" by Michael Waters and "Fair Play" by Katie Barnes. They hope it provides policymakers, especially, with useful historical context as they weigh current sports eligibility rules. But Kliegman's hope for the book goes beyond policy. They want it to change how everyday people understand trans lives. Sports, employment, healthcare, and bathroom access for Kliegman aren't separate fights. They're all part of the same life. "Attacks on one aspect of trans rights affect all aspects of trans lives."
Finding Renée Richards hits bookshelves on August 18, 2026, and is available for pre-order now. ~ Daria Lynn Cottingham
Join us for a community wellness check-in
Join the staff of the Trans Journalists Association and trauma-informed wellness practitioner, Charlie Trotman, for a 90-minute virtual community gathering on Thursday, July 16, at 4 p.m. PST / 6 p.m. CST / 7 p.m. EST. This will be a guided space for TJA members to come together amid an overwhelming news cycle and uncertain political climate. The space will offer a moderated environment for collective reflection, emotional grounding, and connection.
Opportunities Listing
- The National Press Club Journalism Institute is accepting applications for the 2026 Pamela Tobey Award, a $1,000 prize honoring visual storytelling that goes beyond text. Eligible work — published between January and June 2026 — must include at least three non-text elements (data visualization, interactivity, photo, video, audio, or illustration). Open to journalists and newsrooms of all sizes, including independents. (Deadline: July 20, 2026)
- ProPublica is hiring a reporter to cover California through a national lens across beats (i.e., water, climate, homelessness, affordability, sports, entertainment, etc.). The expected salary range for this position is $100,000 to $160,000, and the position will be based in California. (Deadline: July 31, 2026)
- The Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship is accepting applications. The yearlong program is intended to prepare and support a journalist of color for a solid career in investigative reporting. It provides assistance to attend multiple IRE trainings, including the Data Journalism Bootcamp, the NICAR Conference, the IRE Conference, and more. (Deadline: September 1, 2026)
- The Baltimore Banner is seeking a Food Reporter to join the Arts & Culture team and cover one of the most important ways people experience the Baltimore region, through food. The compensation for this role is $70,000-$85,000.
Check out our jobs listserv for additional opportunities. If you're an active TJA member, you can find a link to the listserv on your member dashboard.
Stylebook & Coverage Guide
Workplace Guide | Holistic Safety Guide
