In the baseball stats community, Christina Kahrl is renowned for coining the phrase “three true outcomes” to describe hitters who mostly produce walks, strikeouts and home runs. Throughout her journalism career, Kahrl’s work has been noteworthy for her own version of the three true outcomes: insightful reporting, statistical innovation and trailblazing achievements.

Now it’s led to another recognition of her important role in the profession as Kahrl has been named the 2023 recipient of the Jeanne Córdova Award by NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists.

The award annually honors an LGBTQ woman for her published journalism or opinion work with an emphasis on issues relating to the LGBTQ community.

Kahrl has long been a sterling example of the power of transgender visibility in the sports and journalism industries. From co-founding the game-changing Baseball Prospectus to her current position as sports editor with the San Francisco Chronicle, you can track her career by following the trail of shattered glass ceilings throughout the country.

Additionally, the NLGJA paid tribute to her work in the community from helping to reform the Chicago Police Department’s policy on transgender individuals to serving on the boards of GLAAD and Equality Illinois.

After being notified of her latest achievement, Kahrl took to Twitter to express her gratitude. “This is an extraordinary honor, knowing the impact Jeanne Córdova had in life and to this day,” she wrote, “Accepting it is not a case of looking back on my career with satisfaction, but a challenge to be worthy of it in everything I do.”

She also urged her readers to take the time to learn more about the life of the award’s namesake. Córdova was a renowned lesbian activist and journalist, serving as president for advocacy group Daughters of Bilitis and founding the influential publication The Lesbian Tide.

As Kahrl reflected, “When Jeanne wrote, ‘We don’t need to feel afraid of the “trans” word. We just need to stand up for who we are,’ I think there’s a message there for everyone, of any gender or sexuality.”

This is the latest in a line of accolades and achievements for Kahrl. In 2014, she was inducted into The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame, which celebrated her for becoming the first openly trans sportswriter in the United States when she came out in 2002. She also became the first out transgender scribe to earn membership in the Baseball Writers Assn. of America in 2008.

Over the summer, Kahrl was ranked No. 39 on the Outsports Power 100.

As indicated in her tweet, Kahrl has trained her focus on doing more of the work that has gotten her to this point. In her role overseeing the Chronicle’s sports section, she’ll continue directing coverage of important Bay Area sports news like the potential Oakland A’s relocation and representing her community by writing stories about figures such as pro wrestler Gisele Shaw coming out as transgender.

It’s that kind of dedication that earned her the Jeanne Córdova Award and will continue to make her work a source of Pride in the years to come.

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