An openly transgender athlete will be featured for the first time in the “Body Issue” of ESPN The Magazine, which has made a point of featuring a wide range of body types in its annual package of nude images of professional athletes.

The athlete, Chris Mosier, 35, a transgender man who competed with the United States national team at the world duathlon championships this year, described his participation in the issue as an opportunity to celebrate a body with which he has sometimes felt uncomfortable, as well as to highlight challenges faced by the transgender community, like discrimination and violence.

“I have had such an interesting relationship with my body and it has really evolved over time,” Mosier said on Wednesday, “so I felt this was a real challenge for me and a great way to celebrate where I am at right now. It felt amazing, given that for 29 years of my life I didn’t even like being in pictures.”