R. Taha, b.kin
PhD student in kinesiology at the University of Toronto.
Collaborative specialization in Sexual Diversity Studies.
about
I am a second year direct-entry PhD student in Kinesiology in the physical cultural studies stream at the University of Toronto. I have also completed a collaborative specialization in Sexual Diversity Studies at the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies.
My academic work comes from a positionality and lived experience of being queer, non-binary, Arab, and Muslim, in addition to my work as a fitness coach and personal trainer. I join the communities of scholars in decoloniality studies, gender studies, and cultural studies in bringing justice-related topics into academic spaces. My areas of focus include (but are not limited to) transgender embodiment, global Indigenous movement cultures, and queer performance.
find me
raiya.thomure@mail.utoronto.ca
linked in:
google scholar:
research publications
Taha, R. & Sailofsky, D. (forthcoming). 'But she's not even trans!': A rhetorical analysis of 'liberal' feminist defenses of Imane Khelif amid Olympic transvestigations, International Review for the Sociology of Sport.
Taha, R., Hamdonah, Z. & Joseph, J. (forthcoming). Palestinian Parkour in Gaza as Embodied Decolonial Praxis and Land-Based Physical Activity Under Occupation. International Review for the Sociology of Sport.
Taha-Thomure, R., Milne, A., Kavanagh, E., & Stirling, A. (2022). Gender-Based Violence against Trans* Individuals: A Netnography of Mary Gregory's Experience in Powerlifting. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.85445.
De Lisio, A., Fusco, C., Woodworth, S., & Taha-Thomure, R. Shelter in Place: Pandemic Prudentialism & Park Space in Toronto/Tkaronto. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies22(6), 1418–1441. https://doi.org/10.7202/1109049ar.
presentations, panels, and lectures
'Parkour in Palestine: Defying Necropolitics and Enacting Decolonial Praxis'. [Guest Lecture]. KPE405: Race and Indigeneity in Sport, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, 2025.
'Trans* Athletes in Sport and Recreation'. [Guest Lecture]. KPE403: Gender(s) and Sexualities in Sport, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. University of Toronto, 2024.
Taha, R., Hamdonah, Z., & Joseph, J. (2024, August 9-11). 'It’s Our Way to Tell the World That Nothing Can Stop Us': Palestinian Parkour in Gaza as Decolonial Praxis and Embodied Freedom under Occupation [Conference Presentation]. SSSP: Society for the Study of Social Problems. Montreal, QC.
Taha, R. (2024, October 16). Trans* Athletes in Sport and Recreation [Guest Lecture]. KPE403: Gender/s and Sexualities in Sport and Physical Culture (Dr. Caroline Fusco). University of Toronto.
Queer History Month Panel Discussion: Two-Spirit, Trans, and Nonbinary in Academia [Panelist]. McGill University. Montreal, QC.
Taha-Thomure, R. (2024, October 30-November 2). "Let Me Hear Your Body Talk": Critiquing Playboy Sport Aesthetics [Conference Presentation]. NASSS: North American Society for the Sociology of Sport. Chicago, IL.
Taha-Thomure, R. (2023, August 14-17). Trans* Athletes and the State of Gender-Based Violence in North American Sport [Conference Presentation]. World Congress of Sociology of Sport, Ottawa, ON,
Taha-Thomure, R. (2022, November 1-4). Organized Sport and Transgender Athletes’ Experiences of Gender-Based Violence (GBV-T*)[Conference Presentation]. NASSS: North American Society for the Sociology of Sport. New Orleans, LA,
Anti-Racist Feminist Reflections on Sport, Play, and Embodiment [Conference Panel Moderator]. York University Congress (2023).
Transgender Women Athletes and Elite Sport: A Scientific Review [Panelist]. NCAA: National Collegiate Athletics Association (2023).
work experience
Part-Time Coach:
Fitness & Performance, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, UofT
Group Fitness Coach
Lead coach for IMPACT Proud: a weekly drop-in weight training program for 2SLGBTQIA+ UofT members
Personal Training (1-on-1, small group)
I work primarily with queer and trans clients, building accessible and gender-affirming programs that emphasize embodied joy, wellness, and mobility.
Research Assistant:
Sport and Cultural Environments (SPaCE) Lab (Dr. Caroline Fusco)
SSHRC Explore Grant project: Irish Sport 4 Palestine
Literature reviewing, data collection, data analysis
SSHRC Insight Development Grant project: "Sport Should Not Cost The Earth", 2023-2024
Literature reviewing, data collection, data analysis, article writing, data presentation
Collaboration with Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), 2023-2024
Survey writing, REDCap building, ethics protocol creation
Research Assistant:
Health Education and Resurgence (HEART) Lab (Dr. Tricia McGuire-Adams)
Martial arts, trauma-informed exercise, and Indigenous women, 2024-present
Review of literature, interview assistant, interview transcript verification
Indigenous women and body image, 2024
Review of literature
Research Fellow:
Athlete Ally x Adidas
Athlete Equality Index (AEI), 2023-2024
Auditing equity policies and practices of US universities, contributing to the evolution of the index
Media project, 2023