Trans open-water swimmer Lev Goldberg has begun a 55-kilometre crossing of Lake Huron, which shares a border between Michigan, United States, and Ontario, Canada, as part of a bid to become the first trans person to complete marathon swims across all five North American Great Lakes.
Goldberg entered the water on 5 August, setting off from Port Sanilac, Michigan, and aiming to reach the shores of Lambton County, Ontario. The exact finishing point will depend on weather conditions, including winds, waves and currents.
The Lake Huron challenge follows Goldberg's successful crossing of Lake Ontario in 2025 and forms part of a wider campaign promoting trans visibility and raising money for LGBTQ+ youth services.
Lev Goldberg
Organisers say the Lake Huron route covers approximately 55 kilometres and could require more than 30 hours of continuous swimming to complete.
Goldberg previously completed a 51.5-kilometre swim across Lake Ontario as part of the "51km for Trans Visibility" campaign, finishing in 24 hours, 25 minutes and 15 seconds. That effort raised funds for queer youth services while highlighting the importance of inclusion within outdoor and sporting communities.
Alongside the latest challenge, Goldberg has renewed a fundraising partnership with LGBT YouthLine, a peer-led support service for 2SLGBTQ+ young people across Ontario.
According to organisers, last year's partnership generated enough support to donate 7,000 Canadian dollars to the organisation. The new initiative, titled the "55km for Trans Visibility Partnership", aims to build on that success and raise further funds for LGBTQ+ youth.
Speaking ahead of the swim, Goldberg said open-water swimming had become a passion and an opportunity to increase transgender representation in endurance sport.
"After just three years of training, I accomplished my Lake Ontario swim. Open water swimming is now my passion, and it's exciting to be a visibly trans person in this space, becoming that representation for others where previously I had seen very little," Goldberg said.
Lev Goldberg
Lauren Pragg, executive director of LGBT YouthLine, said the partnership was about more than raising awareness. "This partnership is about more than visibility. It's about material support for youth who deserve care, safety and connection," Pragg said.
"We're excited to stand with Lev and show what solidarity in action looks like."
Scene was founded in Brighton in 1993, at a time when news stories about Pride protests were considered radical.
Since then, Scene has remained proudly independent, building a platform for queer voices. Every subscription helps us to report on the stories that matter to LGBTQ+ people across the UK and beyond.
Your support funds our journalists and contributes to Pride Community Foundation’s grant-making and policy work.
Member discussion