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Precedent for "gender verification" set
The precedent for gender verification was set at the 1936 Berlin Olympics when German officials felt compelled to issue a
statement that the American gold medal sprinter, Helen
Stephens, had passed a "sex check" after Polish journalists questioned her femininity. https://www.nature.com/articles/gim2000258.pdf?origin=ppub -
"Dora" Ratjen outed as a man when competing as a woman
Dora Ratjen lived his whole life believing he was female. Ratjen competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and in the 1938 European World Championships where he was outed as a man. The rumor was that Ratjen disguised himself as a girl to win more medals for the Germans during the 1936 Olympics. However, it was later established that Ratjen had intersex conditions. Ratjen's father then forced him to change his gender and identify as "Heinrich". https://olympics.com/en/athletes/dora-ratjen -
"femininity certificates" required
After the "Dora" Ratjen and Helen Stephens scandals, international sports administrators began requiring female competitors to bring medical “femininity certificates” to verify their sex. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/magazine/the-humiliating-practice-of-sex-testing-female-athletes.html -
Genital inspections required
After the Soviet Union women won multiple medals in the 1952 Olympics, speculation arose about whether these women were actually females or males. So, in 1966, genital inspections were put into place, requiring females to have their genitalia inspected by a panel of doctors before being able to compete in women's sports. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/magazine/the-humiliating-practice-of-sex-testing-female-athletes.html -
Ewa Kłobukowska
Ewa Kłobukowska was a top sprinter in the 1960s. In 1967, Kłobukowska failed a gender verification test and was subsequently banned from competing in professional sports. https://olympics.com/en/athletes/ewa-klobukowska -
Renée Richards barred from U.S. Open
female transgender athlete Renée Richards was banned from competing in the 1976 women's U.S. Open as she did not pass a chromosomal test (Barr body test), which aims to confirm athletes' sexes. NY State Supreme Court then ruled that using this test to discriminate against trans athletes was unfair. https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/17/archives/renee-richards-ruled-eligible-for-us-open-ruling-makes-renee.html -
Maria José Martínez Patiño: first to protest chromosomal sex verification test
Maria grew up identifying as female and had biological attributes that typical females have. However, after undergoing a chromosomal sex verification test, Spanish officials told Maria that she had XY chromosomes and internal testes. Officials suggested that Patiño forfeit, but she refused. She was then kicked off the Spanish national track team and had medals and records evoked. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/i-was-caster-semenya-of-the-1980s-says-maria-jose-martinez-patino-n5clbzjg5 -
IOC passes resolution to discontinue sex testing
A resolution was passed at the 1996 International Olympic Committee World Conference on Women and Health "to discontinue the current process of gender verification during the Olympic Games". The Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996 was the last time chromosomal testing for sex verification was used. https://www.nature.com/articles/gim2000258.pdf?origin=ppub -
Transgender athletes allowed to compete in Olympics
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed transgender athletes to compete in the Olympics for the first time in 2004. However, certain guidelines for female transgender athletes were put into place. Sex reassignment surgery, hormonal replacement therapy and legal confirmation of assigned sex is required for female transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. [Link text]https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-approves-consensus-with-regard-to-athletes-who-have-changed-sex-1 -
NCAA announces guidelines regarding transgender inclusion in sports
The 2010 guidelines require female trans athletes to undergo one calendar year of hormonal replacement therapy before competing on women's sports teams. A trans male who has received a medical exemption for treatment with testosterone is no longer eligible to compete on a women's team without changing that team status to a mixed team, according to the guidelines. https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/inclusion/lgbtq/INC_TransgenderHandbook.pdf -
IOC guidelines on trans athletes updated
The International Olympic Committee modified its 2004 guidelines for trans athletes. The new guidelines recognized challenges for athletes living in countries where gender reassignment is illegal. The new guidelines required ONLY trans women to declare their gender and undergo hormonal replacement therapy for one year prior to competition. https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/Medical_commission/2015-11_ioc_consensus_meeting_on_sex_reassignment_and_hyperandrogenism-en.pdf -
Mack Beggs forced to compete with females, despite identifying as male
Male transgender wrestler Mack Beggs was forced to compete against females due to a Texan law that states athletes need to compete in sports that correlate to their sex assigned at birth. Beggs finished the season 52-0 and won the state championship. This raised concerns about fairness as he had higher levels of testosterone than other female wrestlers due to hormonal therapy. https://www.espn.com/espnw/voices/story/_/id/27652214/what-does-journey-transgender-wrestler-mack-beggs-teach-us -
Transgender inclusion in sports interpreted as a violation of Title IX
After reviewing a policy in Connecticut that allows female transgenders to compete in women's sports, the U.S. Department of Education under the Trump administration stated this violated Title IX as allowing female transgender athletes to participate in women's sports is unfair to biological females. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/transgender-sports-inclusion-violates-others-rights-trump-admin-says-n1216786 -
Laurel Hubbard: First trans woman to compete in the Olympics
The International Olympic Committee approved Australian trans athlete Laurel Hubbard to compete against women in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Hubbard became a pioneer for trans athletes. https://apnews.com/article/2020-tokyo-olympics-sports-weightlifting-laurel-hubbard-e721827cdaf7299f47a9115a09c2a162 -
Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools
A controversy about trans athletes sparked recently in Connecticut as female transgender athletes Andraya Yearwood and Terry Miller won multiple track titles and awards. Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools took is addressing whether Yearwood and Miller's participation in women's sports is fair. https://www.aclu.org/cases/soule-et-al-v-ct-association-schools-et-al
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/transgender-sports-inclusion-violates-others-rights-trump-admin-says-n1216786 -
First Anti-Trans Bill Signed Into Law
The state of Mississippi signed the first anti-trans bill into law. The Mississippi Governor was committed to signing this bill into law as soon as he received a copy of the bill. It only took one week for the Mississippi Governor to review the bill sent to him and pass it into law. -
Title IX interpreted to protect transgender athletes
The Biden administration reversed the Trump administration's stance on transgender athletes' participation in sports. The U.S. Department of Education claimed that Title IX protects transgender athletes and allows athletes to participate in sports that correlate with their gender identity, not sex assigned at birth. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/06/16/transgender-students-are-covered-by-title-ix-protections-education-department-says/?sh=5c2d64dc7df4