The transgender cage fighter

Fallon Fox is the world’s first transgender mixed martial arts fighter, said Nancy Hass in GQ. Fox, 37, underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2006 after decades of struggling with her identity. Following the operation, the former Navy operations specialist emphasized her femininity by dressing in high heels and short skirts. But Fox never felt comfortable with that girlie look. Then in 2009, she stumbled upon an online video of a female cage fight, and knew she’d found her calling. “The fighters were tough but womanly,” says Fox. “That was my version of femme.” She started training and went pro in 2012, winning her first three fights. “I realize it’s kind of amazing that I hit girls. You’re brought up not to hit girls, that it’s the worst sin.” Some of Fox’s opponents complain that her masculine bone structure gives her an unfair advantage. But the 5-foot-6, 144-pound Fox says she’s at a disadvantage, since the massive dose of estrogen she takes every day makes it difficult for her to build muscle strength. Her lack of stamina was apparent in October, when she suffered a spectacular loss to another female fighter. “I guess [that defeat] means people will realize I’m just a woman after all,” she says. ‘Sometimes I dominate and sometimes I’m dominated.”

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