Tough Girl Podcast Amazin LeThi - Athlete and Global Advocate for LGBTQ equality in sports
Nov 24, 2020
58:09
Amazin LêThi was born in Saigon where she was left in an orphanage by her mother. Amazin was then adopted by a white Australian family and became a trans racial adoptee and grew up in Australia. As a young adult, she was homeless for a period of time and it was at this lowest point, contemplating suicide, Amazin realized her passion and love for sport could help her survive. Amazin got into weightlifting as a young age and through this, she gaining physical and mental strength, which in turn helped her with her confidence. Amazin shares more from her personal journey of homelessness and having to fight against all the odds to overcome enormous barriers to become a leading global rainbow (LGBTQ) sports activist and thought leader. Amazin is a former competitive natural bodybuilder, TV/Film star, entertainment executive and the first Vietnamese internationally published health and fitness author. Currently focusing on the sport of shooting with her goal of reaching the Olympics in this sport. Amazin is the first Asian ambassador for Athlete Ally, a nonprofit dedicated to champion LGBTQI+ equality, and Stonewall U.K., Europe’s largest LGBTQ charity. Her own Amazin LeThi Foundation uses sports to develop leadership skills for “rainbow youth” and advocates for LGBTQ allyship in the athletic community. Amazin in her own words: Sport has always been part of my life but I never saw myself in sports, let alone as an LGBTQ athlete, which made me feel very alone and isolated. I never felt I could ever be out because I was always bullied as that one Asian person in sport. Sport should be welcoming to everyone and no one should feel they should hide their sexuality or gender identity. Sharing my story and living authentically and unapologetically gives me the freedom to realise that my emotions are real, that how I feel inside matters and that I’m worthy of owning the space that I’m in. I want my story to provide a positive message for any Asian athlete who wants to be openly out in sports and to remind them they are not alone. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit that subscribe button so you don’t miss out. The tough girl podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Show notes
- Who is Amazin
- How sport has played apart in her life
- Being bullied from a young age
- Being a trans racial adoptee
- Being brought up in Australia
- Not fitting in anywhere and living in limbo
- Falling into bodybuilding at a young age
- Being dropped off at the gym
- The power of sports
- Wanting to be a competitive body builder
- Being your authentic self in sports
- Reconnecting with the Vietnamese language, country and culture
- Leaving Australia and being homeless for a while
- Wanting to create an impact but not being sure what or how to do it
- Why sports helped her to survive
- Deciding to pilot a sports program in Vietnam
- The start of the Amazin Lethi Foundation
- Plans for the future
- Training in shooting and hoping to go to the Olympics
- Wanting another challenge in sports
- Becoming a global advocate
- All major sporting events over the next few years being held in Asia
- Lack of Asian Representation
- Wanting to make sports welcoming
- The role sports media plays
- Final words of advice