Gender Verification

Question 1

The shifting location of women in sport beginning in 1966.

Answer 1

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Question 2

Explain the problem with trying to determine whether an athlete is female.

Answer 2

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Question 3

Know what the advantage thesis is and why it is discriminatory.

Answer 3

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Question 4

Explain the challenges for transgender people in sport:

Answer 4

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Question 5

Explain Ewa Klobukowska’s case:

Answer 5

• one too many chromosomes to be a woman
• banned from competition in 1967
• 1968 Olympics: would have passed Barr Body Test

Question 6

Explain Irina Press’ case:

Answer 6

• 2x gold medalist

- retired abruptly with the introduction of gender verification in 1966

Question 7

How does the advantage thesis motivate sex verification testing?

Answer 7

states that males have more power, endurance, and strength than females

Question 8

Describe sex testing from 1966-1968:

Answer 8

• on the body
• external genitalia
• naked parades
• too humiliating and degrading to continue

Question 9

Describe sex testing from 1968-1992:

Answer 9

• in chromosomes
• Barr body test
• XX = female, XY = male

Question 10

First problem with Barr body test: the following women fail the Barr body test but shouldn’t:

Answer 10

• women with Turner’s syndrome have one X chromosome
• women with XY pattern but resistance to testosterone
• women with gonadal dysgenesis

Question 11

Second problem with Barr body test: the following people would pass as females under the Barr body test:

Answer 11

• women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia or androgen-secreting tumors do have an edge in muscle mass and strength
• Men with Klinefelter’s Syndrome have XXY pattern
• XX males also have muscle mass and strength advantages

Question 12

Describe sex testing from 1992-1999:

Answer 12

• in genetic code
• focused on one particular region of the Y chromosome
• asked women to prove that they weren’t male instead of prove they were female
• similar problems to the Barr body test resulted

Question 13

As a result of these problems, the IOC opted to…

Answer 13

suspend general sex verification in 2000 Sydney Olympics

Question 14

Describe sex testing from 2000-2011:

Answer 14

• back to the body, suspicion based testing

- IOC reserved the right to test ‘suspicious’ women

Question 15

Describe sex testing from 2011 on:

Answer 15

• hormone levels, specifically testosterone

- shifts the emphasis from whether you are a woman to whether hormone levels cause an unfair advantage

Question 16

How does fair play/advantage thesis motivate testing?

Answer 16

• males are not tested

- only MTF not FTM tested

Question 17

Why have some women’s groups been at odds with advocates for transgender inclusion?

Answer 17

• binary sex determination (main reason)
• discrimination/phobia
• advantage thesis

Question 18

How does this illustrate normalization?

Answer 18

an oppressed/marginalized group works hard to do the same to another group

Question 19

1st World Outgames said _____ _____ mattered more than _____ ______.

Answer 19

• physical gender

- physical attributes

Question 20

Gender verification today:

Answer 20

• hormone levels are now used
• premised on the idea that the level is important to conveying an unfair advantage
• playing field has never been level
• O2 carrying capacity, lactate thresholds, and other physiological/biological factors vary between people
• Females produce androgen naturally, why isn’t this seen as a gift?
• training varies across socio-economic levels

Question 21

Gender policies have regulated access to sport events by using ____ ____ when there is …

Answer 21

• binary classifications

- no scientific or biological proof that a binary exists

Question 22

The advantage thesis, which is based on the ____ ____ _____, seems to privilege assumptions of ____ ____ over the impact of ______.

Answer 22

• two sex dichotomy
• fair play
• discrimination

Question 23

The advantage thesis discriminates by…

Answer 23

requiring adherence to the binary sex system