Sexing the Athletes

Abstract

Sociologists, like the International Olympic Committee (IOC), have believed that the guarantor of sexual division lies in the natural differences of the human body. The key sociological problematic that has dominated discussion in this area for over 20 years turns on a distinction between “sex,” which is conceived of as natural, and “gender,” which is conceived of as constructed. But it is argued in this article that sex is no less a discursive construct than gender. Modern discussions of sex derive from a two-sex model of the body that is no more (and no less) “true” than the preceding monomorphic model. The article discusses the claims of the sex/gender problematic, presents arguments that demonstrate the existence of a one-sex model, and examines recent claims of geneticists. It is argued that such claims are tautological and that there never will be a true sign of a true sex, whatever the hopes of the IOC.

Sporting Gender: Women’s Footballing Bodies as Sites/Sights for the (Re) Articulation of Sex, Gender, and Desire

“…The testing procedure marks "viable" subjects and erases other identifications and, as such, demonstrates the exclusionary means through which the sexed body and gender are produced (Butler, 1993). It is apparent that the takenfor-granted notion that women and men have to be distinguishable (Cream, 1995;Hood-Williams, 1995) is most evident within sporting contexts. In addition, there is the structural and discursive demarcation of sport as "women's sport" or "men's sport."…”

“…However, it is evident that human beings do not fall exclusively into two chromosomal categories (Cream, 1995;Hood-Williams, 1995). Therefore, sex tests represent a regulatory practice used to materialize "sex" and uphold the notion of sexual difference.…”

“…However, there is a lack of critique of how sex is understood as pre-given and most sport founded on sexual differentiation. John Hood-Williams (1995) does provide an important account that first refutes the existence of a two-sex system and second critiques the International Olympic Committee's endeavors to sex athletes. He argues that using a binary system to classify athletes is "tautological and that there will never be a true sign of a true sex, whatever the hopes of the IOC" (p. 290).…”

Caster Semenya and the “Question of Too”: Sex Testing in Elite Women's Sport and the Issue of Advantage

“…Since gender is a constructed, social practice that changes over time, the ability to verify gender is indeed a challenge" (p. 373; see also Hercher, 2010). Considering the anatomical, chromosomal, and hormonal difficulties in distinguishing men from women, sex, like gender, is also a subjective, historically-and culturally-constructed category (Hood-Williams, 1995;Wackwitz, 2003).…”

Real Sex/Fake Gender: A Reply to Robert Willmott

“…Those who insist on attempting to stuff the world into the ill fitting categories of gender or sex face a number of difficult questions (Hood-Williams, 1995;. Here, I shall refer to two further problems.…”