My name is Lev Goldberg, and I am a marathon swimmer based in Toronto, on a journey to become the first openly transgender person to swim across all five Great Lakes, raising money to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth.

Last year on September 2-3, 2025, I became the first openly transgender person to swim across Lake Ontario or any Great Lake. That 51km swim took me 24 hours, 25 minutes, and 15 seconds, swimming from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto, and it was only made possible thanks to the immense generosity and support of my community. With everyone's help, I was able to raise enough funds to cover all my swim costs and make a donation of $7,000 to LGBT Youthline , a peer support organization for 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Ontario.

Now I am taking on my next challenge: swimming 55km across Lake Huron. I want each of my swims to be efforts that show 2SLGTBQ+ youth, and especially trans youth, that sport is for them too, and they can take on huge challenges and chase their dreams.

I also want my swims to support vital resources for queer and trans youth which are needed now more than ever. So, this swim will also be a fundraiser for LGBT Youthline, to continue to support them in the vital work they do for queer and trans youth in Ontario.

Swimming and athletics in general have not always been accessible to me. Gender dysphoria kept me out of the pool for 18 years, from ages 9 to 27. I only returned to swimming as an adult, and I began setting big goals immediately.

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.

I have a strong personal connection to LGBT Youthline, having served as a peer support volunteer myself when I was newly out as transgender at age 20. That experience helped me find community and develop skills that led me to become a therapist now, working primarily with 2SLGBTQ+ youth.

I know firsthand that the work that Youthline does is vitally important, especially as transphobia and homophobia are on the rise and many youth feel unsupported and alone. Youthline trains and empowers 2SLGBTQ+ youth to provide anonymous, confidential peer support to fellow queer and trans youth in need.

All money raised through this fundraiser will cover the necessary costs for my Lake Huron swim including:

All extra funds beyond these necessary costs will be donated directly to LGBT Youthline to support their vital peer support services!

Please support this journey to help me make history as the first openly transgender person to swim across Lake Huron, and to uplift 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Every contribution helps make this swim possible and strengthens a vital community resource.