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Layne Ingram’s advocacy for Greater Lansing’s transgender community has landed him a spot on national television.
Ingram is scheduled to be on the Dr. Phil TV show at 4 p.m. Friday on CBS with Olympic swimmer Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Harvard University human evolutionary biology professor Carole Hooven and swimmer Riley Gaines, who competed against trans woman Lia Thomas.
The Lansing Community College’s women’s basketball coach said a producer contacted him in the summer after reading his excerpt in a 2021 USA Today article exploring the political discourse surrounding transgender youth in sports.
“I hope that (the audience members) get an understanding that sports do so much for people and that we’re talking about kids,” Ingram said. “All kids deserve the opportunity to belong and interact with their peers. I hope they see a person who’s just like anyone they’ve met — a Black guy who’s smart and being a good citizen.”
He said his 2017 coming out felt like a responsibility to show trans youth that they will be OK and that trans people exist and are just like anyone else.
He has spoken about his life as a transgender man through his podcast “The Reconstructed Man,” about name changes and gender designations on state IDs and the impact of Planned Parenthood offering barrier-free hormone therapies.
Ingram hoped his appearance on national TV will emphasize his zeal for better mental and personal health care for transgender people and concerns regarding the ramifications legislation has on them.
“I’m nervous, but if one trans person or kid sees me (and) that I can be alright and I am fighting for them, then every single minute is worth it,” Ingram said.
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Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at (517) 267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.
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