Balian Buschbaum | Transgender Man

What degree of sacrifice would you be willing to make to achieve your dreams? For Balian Buschbaum, sacrificing his dreams to transition to become a man was more important than anything else. Before transitioning as a transgender man, Buschbaum completed in women’s pole vaulting, even winning the title of German Youth Champion several times. In 2007, at the height of his sports career, he retired.

Shortly after, he announced that he was going to transition to a man. Later on, he revealed in his memoir, Blue Eyes Remain Blue, he credits the name “Balian” to Orlando Bloom’s character in the movie the Kingdom of Heaven. Now that he is recognized as a man, the former Olympian can pursue other interests. Today, he is a nutritionist, sports trainer, and coach. He even appeared on the German version of Dancing with the Stars back in 2013.