MassEquality expressed disappointment, though not surprise, at the recent decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to limit participation in female category events. This decision outlines that only women who have XX chromosomes will be allowed to compete. This excludes transgender and intersex female athletes. This decision directly contradicts the IOC’s own 2021 Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations.
“All bodies are different, elite athletes have always reflected a wide spectrum of natural variation,” said Tanya Neslusan, Executive Director of MassEquality. “This decision is rooted in a fundamentally unfair and deeply misogynistic premise, that women’s bodies must be policed, scrutinized, and deemed ‘acceptable’ in order to compete. It targets transgender and intersex women, but in doing so, it undermines all women by reinforcing narrow and exclusionary definitions of womanhood that have no place in sport or society.”
Transgender people are estimated to make up 1–2% of the population in the United States. However, they represent less than 0.002% of U.S. college athletes, and an even smaller percentage of recent Olympians—approximately 0.001%—identify as transgender. Intersex individuals are estimated to make up between 0.02% and 2% of the population.
[In the press release, MassEquality states that the] use of SRY screening is both short-sighted and offensive. Subjecting female athletes to such testing to determine whether they are “female enough” to compete in sports to which they have dedicated their lives is deeply humiliating and invasive.
“People believe that they understand the science of how our bodies function and what we are learning and scientists already know is that the human body is far more complex than we give it credit for.” Neslusan continued.
Olympians possess a wide range of genetic traits that contribute to elite performance [MassEquality points out]. Genetics can influence size and strength, lung capacity, injury recovery, and muscle composition. Genetics can also include variants like the ACTN3 gene, which is associated with fast-twitch muscle fibers. The presence of a Y chromosome is not, in and of itself, a physical advantage, and suggesting otherwise diminishes the accomplishments of female athletes.
It is concerning that the identities of members of the IOC’s Protection of the Female Category Working Group have remained confidential—an unusual practice compared to other IOC working groups[, notes MassEquality].
MassEquality urges the IOC to reconsider this decision and to align its policies with its stated commitment to fairness, inclusion, and non-discrimination.
— from a MassEquality press release
More: massequality.org