Overview Of Transgender Athletes
The history of sports is incredibly fascinating and can be viewed as a representation of the progress in social justice through human history. For example, the first modern Olympics were held in 1896, but it wasn’t until 1900 that women were even allowed to compete in the Olympics!!! I have interviewed several experts in the field and have gotten responses ranging from, “not surprising” to “disgusted.” In my opinion, I am impressed that women’s Olympics existed by 1900. Given the ancient Olympics were an exclusively male event and women’s suffrage did not happen until 1920. Therefore, women were still being treated unequally to men and amid the first world war women were not treated and workers yet. Therefore, women being treated as athletes before workers in society is impressive to me.
Issues regarding transgender athletes did not really come about until 1940, with the Berlin Olympics right around the second world war. However, the most shocking fact is that the International Olympic Committee did not establish official guidelines for transgender athletes to compete in the Olympic until the twenty first century. Throughout the twentieth century transgender athletes were marginalized, mistreated, and abused across the Olympics and international sports competitions. The current rules for transgender athletes in the Olympics are as follows:
Issues regarding transgender athletes did not really come about until 1940, with the Berlin Olympics right around the second world war. However, the most shocking fact is that the International Olympic Committee did not establish official guidelines for transgender athletes to compete in the Olympic until the twenty first century. Throughout the twentieth century transgender athletes were marginalized, mistreated, and abused across the Olympics and international sports competitions. The current rules for transgender athletes in the Olympics are as follows:
- Those who transition from female to male are eligible to compete in the male category without restriction.
- Those who transition from male to female are eligible to compete in the female category under the following conditions:
- The athlete has declared that her gender identity is female. The declaration cannot be changed, for sporting purposes, for a minimum of four years.
- The athlete must demonstrate that her total testosterone level in serum has been below 10 nmol/L for at least 12 months prior to her first competition (with the requirement for any longer period to be based on a confidential case-by-case evaluation, considering whether or not 12 months is a sufficient length of time to minimize any advantage in women’s competition).
- The athlete's total testosterone level in serum must remain below 10 nmol/L throughout the period of desired eligibility to compete in the female category.
- Compliance with these conditions may be monitored by testing. In the event of non-compliance, the athlete’s eligibility for female competition will be suspended for 12 months.
My thoughts...
Clearly it has been a very hard road for transgender athletes to compete in professional sports and being accepted as a whole in society. It is important to remember that these are people trying to follow their passions just like anyone else. I still think it is very difficult for a person born as a male transitioning to a female to compete in professional sports and even be accepted by society, but I am proud of how far we have come. My biggest point of emphasis is to appreciate how far we have come, but to express that there are still ways to go. Until we decide not to judge transgender athletes differently than how we would judge a cisgender athlete we as society still need to progress. This speaks to a larger issue of tolerance and acceptance of people that stray from the norm. Exclusion and marginalization of a perceived minority have never been good for humanity throughout history and it will continue to damage the progress of society in the future unless we continue to progress.
Clearly it has been a very hard road for transgender athletes to compete in professional sports and being accepted as a whole in society. It is important to remember that these are people trying to follow their passions just like anyone else. I still think it is very difficult for a person born as a male transitioning to a female to compete in professional sports and even be accepted by society, but I am proud of how far we have come. My biggest point of emphasis is to appreciate how far we have come, but to express that there are still ways to go. Until we decide not to judge transgender athletes differently than how we would judge a cisgender athlete we as society still need to progress. This speaks to a larger issue of tolerance and acceptance of people that stray from the norm. Exclusion and marginalization of a perceived minority have never been good for humanity throughout history and it will continue to damage the progress of society in the future unless we continue to progress.
Sources:
- https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/Medical_commission/2015-11_ioc_consensus_meeting_on_sex_reassignment_and_hyperandrogenism-en.pdf
- https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/the-uncertain-olympic-future-for-trans-and-intersex-athletes
- https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2149799
- https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1646059