Testing for “real” sex

[JesusA (imported)]

I thought that some of you might enjoy this article on the “slipperiness” of sex and gender categories written by one of the experts in the field. I hope that the attention given to Caster Semanya will begin to bring these issues to greater public awareness. There are comments posted after the article on the CNN web site (link at the bottom of the article) and I hope that some of you will add your voices.

Testing for “real” sex

obscures a more important issue

Anne Fausto-Sterling

Professor of Biology and Gender Studies
Brown University

AC360° [CNN]

August 21, 2009

With all of the attention given to Caster Semanya, the new women’s champion and world record holder for the 800 meter run, you would think that the problem of sex verification in women’s athletics was brand new. But ever since 1912, when women gained the right to compete in the Olympics, sports officials have worried that a man would masquerade as a woman in order to win (a woman’s) medal.

Olympic officials long have been vigilant. Early on, female Olympians had to parade naked in front of a board of examiners. If they had breasts and a vagina, they counted as women. But with time (and complaints from the female athletes) athletic officials opted for what they thought was a more scientific approach—compulsory testing of all competitors in women’s events for XX or XY chromosomes. By 1968, when this type of test became the official marker of sex, scientific advances made it a simple matter to scrape out a few cheek cells and look for that second X. As it turns out, however, real bodies are not that simple.

Take, for example, the case of Maria Patiño, who, in 1988 was Spain’s top woman hurdler. When her verification test revealed that she had a Y chromosome, she was stripped of her title, Spain revoked her scholarship, her boyfriend left her, and her life was thrown into disarray. Although at the time she did not know it, she later learned that she had a disorder of sexual development (DSD) that made her cells unable to respond to testosterone. As a result, physically, physiologically, and psychologically she was a female. After a protracted battle, she convinced officials of this fact and four years later rejoined the Spanish Olympic squad.

After Patiño became a cause célèbre, and realizing that chromosomes alone could not accurately determine whether a person was a man or a woman, international athletic officials tried out more complex methods of compulsory testing.

At the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, they also instituted a counseling program for women who “failed” the test. That summer eight of 3387 female athletes did not pass, although in the end all were allowed to compete. Medical scientists and athlete activists continued to press the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to abandon sex verification. Prestigious organizations such as the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians, among many others argued that the skimpy and body-revealing clothing now used in athletics made it impossible for a man to masquerade as a woman. Further, the verification procedures were complicated, expensive, inconclusive and hurtful to the women with DSD’s that they uncovered. Finally, just before the start of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the IOC discontinued compulsory testing.

But there was a catch. The new system, although not compulsory, allowed for individual challenges. Chinese officials made much of an announcement that “suspicious-looking” women would be forced to take sex verification tests. These would involve a physical examination, a chromosome test, blood tests to measure hormone levels, and a test for genes known to be involved in sex determination. And it is this new version of–shall we call it male-baiting– that Caster Semenya has been caught up in. How she will fare is anybody’s guess, but there are a couple of points we will be left to think about.

First, there is no perfect scientific method to determine sex, because sex is multifaceted. Usually, all the facets line up, but sometimes not. (In the Atlanta games, that “sometimes” was two tenths of a percent). And even when the facets of sex are perfectly arrayed each group sports enormous variability. To understand this point, one need only compare the 6’2”, quavery voiced Julia Child to the 5’3” Tallulah Bankhead with her bourbon baritone, or (if he weren’t dead) to stand Gary Cooper (6’3”) next to Gary Coleman at 4’8”.

Second, all the fuss about “real” sex, blinds us to an equally important fact. Athletes do a lot of body sculpting. They train, they lift weights, they diet and carb load. In other words, there is a lot more to making bodies than genes, chromosomes, hormones. In the end, the decision about who may fairly compete and under what circumstances is a social one. It comes from International Athletic Officials who, among other things, channel social norms when they decide who can count as male, and who as female.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/21/testing-athletes/

[Glenda_J (imported)]

Jesus,

I know personally a couple of genetic males who were born without testicles. One lives as a woman and the other as a man. I would be interested in what per cent of people are so born. Being born without testicles is one way that a male can end up being able to pass virtually perfectly as a woman. Not so once a man goes through puberty.

I do not know what it must be like to be in that situation, but the people I spoke of seem to be living happy lives.

Accepting gender can be a different matter. Especially when one's perceived gender falls outside of what society thinks it should be. And most critical when a male feels womanly inside.

Regards, Glenda

[SplitDik (imported)]

I think the issue of gender in sports is a difficult one. As much as we like ideas of equality and non-discrimination, obviously having more male attributes seems to generally cause better performance in sports. If it didn't then it wouldn't be a problem -- everyone could compete according to their orientation or convenience.

While it is not fair to those with ambiguous gender to cause them so much grief, it is also not fair for some athletes to have a hormonal or chromosonal advantage. The trick though is that of course top athletes always do have some genetic advantage, whether it is just bone structure, weight-to-strength ratio, lactic acid delay, etc.

Probably the best thing is to just get rid of the gender division in Olympics. It would be sad for a lot of female athletes as they would no longer be top competitors, but then again if you're looking for the world's absolute fastest human, then it is fair to exclude them. At least there could be no discrimination one way or another, and genetic advantage would be allowed to be displayed in all its combinations.

Anyway, it is an interesting issue because it hits at the issue that while we strive for equality we have to admit that no two people are actually equal, but rather unique. Therefore, the equality must be in the allowing someone to try, not in grouping people to make them seem more equal.

[chilliwilli (imported)]

Since the olymics attempt to determine the perfect male/female physical being...let them have their due. Why is this an issue. Only allow XY males, XX females. All athletes must have complete genitals and no hormone "doping" is allowed.

The olympics are not about acceptance they are about competition and the ideal athelete.

chilli-

[Pair1981 (imported)]

Well...when I go to the Doctor and drop my drawers...he knows I am a man...genetically and otherwise.

As far as male/female athletic testing...It's stupid. As it was argued, those skimpy outfits would reveal something swining or not swinging between an athlete's legs! No doubt. No fuss. No muss. No problem.

[punkypink (imported)]

Then the ideal athelete would be a XXY female with 3 times the hormones of a normal female.

The Olympics is NOT about human rights infringement.

[coinflipper_21 (imported)]

As if it wasn't confusing enough, all fetuses start out female. The Y chromosome does not take effect until after the sexual organs start to form causing them to rearrange themselves in the male. (Yes, we all have the same plumbing, just arranged differently. Sorta blows the Adam's rib story out of the water!) To further add to the confusion, in many species of animals as high as lizards, if there are an insufficient number of males in the environment, some females will actually become males! (This fact was used as a plot device in the original Jurassic Park book to explain how the dinosaurs were reproducing outside the lab.) Perhaps the question should not be who is female, but what is a male?

[A-1 (imported)]

Well,

the olympic committee could go back to the custom of having everyone compete in the nude.

That way, what you see is what you get and nobody can hide anything...

[Hash (imported)]

Perhaps there should be three sexes in the Olympics, men, women, and well, whatever they decide is appropriate to call them. I can't help remember how badly Shirley Babashoff was put down and called a whiner when she pointed out in the 1976? Olympics that the East Germans looked like men and talked like men. But the press just thought she was a sore loser. They were doping with testosterone of course, but Shirley never recovered totally. Even today she won't talk to the press because of how badly they treated her and they never apologized. Here was a true female who trained for years to have a chance to compete in the Olympics and then she had to compete with women who were turned into men. Tell me that was fair! I'm sorry, but Caster Semenya is technically a man. She even has a low voice like a man, so she doesn't have a penis or testicles, but I'm still a man. She shouldn't be competing against true females who are estrogen laden.

[chilliwilli (imported)]

Then the ideal athelete would be a XXY female with 3 times the hormones of a normal female.

The Olympics is NOT about human rights infringement.

Perhaps it would be good to look at what the olympics are and how they came about,

The olympics do divide groups into male and female, would this seperation be an infringement on a persons rights?

In america we like to debate. We argue in an attempt to explore all aspects of a decision. We compete, our supreme leaders are great debaters. A nation founded by lawyers and run be lawyers. More and more we could care less if our leaders are white, male, gay, straight. No one asks people seeking public office to have a testosterone level drawn. No one demands that Sarah Palin pull up her skirt to assure everything "fits". No it really does not matter one way ot the other. The instution asserts all people are created equal, why bother to stir another pot...there are special intrest groups to do that.

The olympics are quite different. All people are not created equal. The goal is to not find the best argument, but to find the fastest runner. And yes they seperate the sexes. Should they? I don't know...I like the padded toilet seats and if they started allowing males into the girls restroom I would go in there for the comfort alone. So, gennneeeerrrrrraaaaaaaallllllllyyyyy men are stronger and faster and excell at sports. The olympics are about physical competition. Taking a genetic male and turning him into a female for atheletic domination would put a greater value on science over the individual striving against another. Competition, physical and otherwise was one of the values that drove Greek culture. The olympics celebrate physical competition as a means to greatness.

I say all athletes should have to be able to reproduce. The empire wants babies, a better future. That means viable sperm and delivery for males, and a functioning uterus and ovulation for females.

Would it be fair for Ms. America to compete with transgender women in a non biased beauty pagent? Let's not try to turn the olympics into something it is not.

Perhaps when one asserts their "right" they should be careful not to step on the toes of others. Enjoy what you have, acceptance is awesome. If it was not from them you would not be. Differences are to be enjoyed, hostility should never be shared.

chilli-