The Issue of (Intersexual) Gender in the World of Sports

By David Shelmon

A person does not have to look far to see the difficulty that most people have with comprehending the possible existence of “unconventional” genders. It surrounds us on a daily basis. At the end of voluntary surveys, when the question of gender comes up, the participant is always asked whether he or she is male or female. There is never a box that could be checked off with the words “somewhere in between” or “other” next to it. Public restrooms are only labeled as being for men or women. Clothes are only designed with boys or girls, men or women, in mind. Even college campuses only give the option of choosing male or female when students go to register for on-campus housing.

Similarly, the world of sports also struggles with the expansion of the category known as gender. That is why South African athlete Caster Semenya caused such a stir in 2009 when she burst onto the scene as a dominant runner. It was revealed that Semenya had in fact been teased all her life about her boyish physical features and tomboyish personality. She was accustomed to being judged. Therefore, when she rose to fame in 2009 she appeared to be unaffected by the harsh criticisms being thrown her way, despite the judgments being on a more global scale. These criticisms, however, led to the star runner being pressured into getting a gender test. Even though Semenya was secure about who she was, and even though her mother along with other South Africans offered their support about who she was, the rest of the sports world preferred to have definitive, indisputable proof by means of DNA testing.

While discussing the issue of intersexual athletes in class, Oscar Pistorius and the Paralympics popped into my head. People seem to want to ostracize athletes like Caster Semenya as much as they have ostracized athletes with disabilities. In the general public’s eyes able-bodied athletes should only compete against other able-bodied athletes and disabled athletes should only compete against other disabled athletes. I considered for a moment the possibility of having something similar to the Paralympics for intersexual athletes. However, the situation becomes more complicated when considering an athlete like Brittney Griner, the star center for Baylor University’s women’s basketball team. Unlike Semenya, Griner has not received the same amount of criticism. She is highly respected for her abilities and accepted by others as being a female athlete despite her unusual height advantage and deep voice; both of which are not typical of most female college basketball players. She is talked about and celebrated as much as her more feminine competition, most notably Notre Dame’s star player Skylar Diggins. Unlike Semenya, Griner has been able to succeed without all the backlash.

 
So, is it ultimately the public’s fault for making such a big deal about certain athletes who show both signs of femininity and masculinity? How much should this issue factor in when determining whether or not these kinds of athletes should be allowed to compete? Stella Walsh, for example, was a dominant athlete in track and field from the 1930s through 1950s. She even won a gold medal while representing Poland in the 1932 Olympics. It was not until after her death that it was discovered that she possessed some male qualities as well as female qualities. During her lifetime, however, this mix of qualities did not prevent her from being seen as a woman and successfully competing against other women. She, like Griner, enjoyed success and did not have to face any criticisms regarding her gender.