This LGBT History Month, the Rainbow Network is celebrating the amazing work of queer people. Through a series of “coffee break”-sized podcast episodes, we’ll introduce you to LGBT innovators in the fields of Music, Science, Sport, and Literature. Future episodes will feature other cultural figures such as Audre Lorde and Oscar Wilde.
Friday 5th March
In this episode, Helen Coy investigates recent developments in making the world of sport more inclusive for trans, nonbinary, and intersex people.
Resources
Transgender, Intersex and non-binary people in sport and physical activity: a review of research and policy by Lucy Piggott
What Does Intersex Look Like at Birth? on Healthline
The Binary World of Sports by Catherine Lee
Unisex sports: Challenging the Binary by Irena Martínková
Transwomen in elite sport: scientific and ethical considerations by Taryn Knox, Lynley C Anderson, and Alison Heather
Non-Binary Inclusion in Sport from LEAP in Sports for LGBTI Scotland
How the Olympics can embrace non-binary athletes for the future by Heather Dockray
British Cycling announces landmark trans and non-binary athlete inclusion policy ‘to ensure our sport is welcoming to all by Vic Parsons
We Exist: Beyond the Binary – A film by Lauren Lubin
Transcript
Hi, I'm Helen Coy. And today I'm going to be talking about binary gender categories with reference to sports. My pronouns are she her, I'm very lucky to be the participation manager at University of Birmingham sport. So it was suggested that my podcast for LGBT history month could be sport related. So I don't have a sporty background, extremely not so I hid from team sports at school. And while I studied medieval history university, I didn't play any sport and only joined the Women's rugby team for one year during my PhD and that was really purely for the social aspect. So my current role centres around delivering and expanding an accessible programme of activities for all abilities, ages and identities. Have a lovely team. It's brilliant. So I thought a lot about what angle this talk should take. And I have roamed considerably outside of the realms of my personal experience. So I'm white, British and cisgender, I decided to seize the opportunity of this podcast to educate myself on subject matter that I knew next to nothing about especially in relation to elite sport. So this is going to be a broad snapshot of a narrow time period of recent history aiming to consider some of the trans, nonbinary and gender identity developments of the last 12 years or so in relation to sport. I'm hoping to give a rough overview of where we are now. After the developments of the last few years and signpost to further reading. I'll always attempt to use language sensitively. So apologies for any places where I've judged incorrectly so often myself through fear of offending, we can shy away from discussing important topics and this is my very small attempt to engage with one of the most important questions facing organised sport. So this podcast hopes to positively evoke wider thought on how and where we currently use gendered language throughout all areas of life and the implications that a binary gender system continues to play in physical activity.
Historically, participation in elite level sport is often but not in all cases divided into male and female categories. This is obviously reflective of the traditional binary division of our society, but as our understanding around there only being two clearly defined genders or sexes is slowly shifting to embrace a full spectrum and understanding of both sex and gender. Sport has many challenges had to navigate new approaches and categories for competition and therefore ensuring inclusion in addition to fairness for all.
Navigating the conundrum of fairness versus inclusion is extremely complicated, ie the inclusion of trans nonbinary or intersex athletes in either the categories they identify with, or creating new categories can raise more questions on the implications for the competitors and the sport as a whole. So personally, I found the article transgender, intersex and non binary people in sport and physical activity, a review of research and policy, which was published in September last year, absolutely invaluable. Author Lucy Piggott and starts with a very helpful glossary of terms which in turn have been taken from Stonewall. So if you're unsure of any terms mentioned throughout this podcast, that's a great place to start. Also, a further understanding on people born intersex, there's a very well I found it very sensitively written article on health line aimed at new parents, which explains chromosomal differences. I didn't realize until reading this that though, isn't just x, y and xx and how to put it simply, biological sex is a direct quote this is is more complex than our chromosomes. Humans are designated a sex of birth, reflective of the physical genitalia a parent, the parents are sometimes presented with a choice of whether to raise their child as male or female, if a combination of sex organs is internally or externally present,
a whole spectrum of different challenges therefore face trans individuals identifying with a different gender identity than that given at birth and nonbinary people identifying as neither simply male or female and intersex you may identify as male, female or nonbinary. Two recent case studies highlight how categorising gender in a strictly binary fashion can be problematic the careers of elite athletes Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand, so for anyone else unfamiliar as I was myself before writing this, both are currently international athletics competitors in the 800 meters and 100 meters respectively, both within the last 10 years have had serious questions raised about their eligibility to compete in the female category, due to high levels of naturally occurring testosterone. And in the case of Semenya questions regarding being born intersex, both women have had to
face significant challenges to their gender identity from governing bodies and the wider public in order to continue competing. Furthermore, in 2019, a new IAF International Association of Athletics Federation practice that ruling came into force preventing those entering the female athletics categories from participating in several sprinting events. unless their testosterone falls below a prescribed level, requiring athletes to take medication to lower their testosterone was considered the time to have targeted Semenya in particular, and, and has entered other sports as well. testing an athlete's hormone levels to judge the suitability to compete has a long history and is now further complicated as well by stringent anti-doping tests. A 2018 summary article how the Olympics can embrace non binary athletes for the future. I found fabulously concise in highlighting the rigidity of current elite sporting competition categories there's some great references as well to gay athletes which is podcast doesn't necessarily cover trans, nonbinary and intersex athletes. It signposts to a great documentary, which I'm hoping to watch from nonbinary athlete Lauren Lubin entitled we exist beyond the binary which again is opening the conversation. The difficulties facing trans athletes are again different. And increasingly there are guidelines at least in place from national governing bodies, as well as blueprints of pioneering athletes who are paving the way in order to compete as the gender they identify with trans athletes must undergo at least a year of hormone replacement therapy and have changed their gender on all official documentation, including their passport, when the Tokyo Olympics finally take place later this year touchwood trans athletes Laurel Hubbard and Tia Thompson hope to both compete in their chosen category as women so Hubbard is a weightlifter and Thompson as a volleyball player. Both have faced controversy and criticism with regards to the "fairness" of competing. For example, the 2017 Australian international and Australian Open in Melbourne Hubbard faced significant backlash from weight lifters and coaches as she won the gold in the 95 kilogram plus category. So there was still qualifying events due to take place when the coronavirus outbreak occurred. So we will probably see this debate continuing in the media. At the time Laurel's attempts to qualify, incited some negativity particularly from those championing "women's sports", including Piers Morgan in October 2020. This exciting British cycling announced a new trans and nonbinary inclusion policy working towards making the sport welcoming for all. Pink news has a great detail article, which doesn't still nonetheless suggest that athletes competing in the women's category will still need to fall below a certain level of testosterone upon testing the policy again briefly sets out how trans people can change their gender marker on the British cycling membership. The rules for competing in gendered categories clear guidance on respecting trans and nonbinary cyclists and around using the correct name and pronouns and supporting all members choice of changing room. Building on there. several articles published within the last two years are starting to accompany the questioning of traditional gender categories in sport, with increasingly detailed proposals and how competitive sport could start to restructure its categories. So in the way that Cycling is starting to engage with, we don't have all the answers yet. But Catherine Lee in an article the binary world of sports states that the reality is that sex in humans is a continuum with no clear or singular boundary between men and women, and therefore a revision on sporting categories is being suggested. So again, in a further article, unisex sports challenging the binary, which was only made 2020 last year in the journal philosophy of sport arena, Martínková. She literally presents a clear structure as to almost suggesting how different sports could move forward, breaking down their categories and not being as gender specific. At 2019 article trans women in elite sport, scientific and ethical considerations in the Journal of medical ethics is in favour of something much more nuanced and useful. That's a direct quote, concluding that gender binary in sport has perhaps had its day. So I was just fascinated to see as much published academic material on gender categories in sport. So what about the path ahead for other levels of sporting activity casual and competitive, any institution institutional an international change will obviously take time and non binary athletes and activists are starting to push for change at local level, LEAP, which is leadership, equality and active participation in sports for LGBTI Scotland published the outcomes of its 2019 conference as nonbinary gender inclusion in sport, a downloadable PDF guide in September 2020. It draws together case studies and aims to provide a resource for
Sports regulators, governing bodies, Communities and Local organisers to guide and support the accessibility of sport for all gender identities. With Birmingham as the host for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, it will be fascinating to see how when and where. And if the trans, nonbinary and intersex athlete inclusion is reporting the media and if it's too soon to see if any changes are made traditional binary categories.
So I will take away from my brief research and increased understanding of the barriers that nonbinary intersex and trans people face in relation to their engagement with sport in all capacities from Elite to recreational, with at least a slightly expanded awareness of how I use language. I'm hoping that in future it could be the difference between someone feeling included rather than excluded. The simple act of completing a registration form to join a sport or activity will typically confront people with a binary gender choice, we may not always be in a position to rewrite all our forms and the categories that go with them. But were possible by adding more options or free text boxes under gender identity, or potentially removing the gender box altogether, where it serves no constructive purpose. It means we are at least open to the conversation. The university has recently launched its LGBT allies initiative, which was a really great reminder for me, you don't need to identify as LGBTQ to be a good ally. The aim is to be open to new approaches, engage with experiences outside of your own, and to use an inclusive language wherever you can. So I'm really excited to look with fresh eyes are the range of services we provide in my department, and I really can't wait to see what changes take place in the sporting world over the next 10 years and beyond. Thank you so much for listening.
Transcript by otter.ai
Previous podcast
Friday 19th February
Kate Stewart briefly introduces a couple of LGBTQ Scientists from History and one from the present to ask the questions “Who is able to succeed? Who is remembered? How can we ensure we record the full history of LGBT scientists and their contributions?”