Athlete Banned Over Natural Hormone Levels

[Athos_131]

Court Bars Women With High Testosterone From Some Track Races

#Resist

[IdleBoast]

Technically, she's not banned, she "just" has to take medication to keep her testosterone levels within "normal" female values.

(I saw her being interviewed on TV earlier - her voice is deeper & huskier than mine!)

[MissBarbara]

Court Bars Women With High Testosterone From Some Track Races

#Resist

I find this story to be fascinating, chiefly because it doesn't fit neatly into any one little box.

On the one hand, it's great that trans women are being allowed to participate in competitive sports with other women, and that allowances are put in place to ensure that the other athletes maintain a competitive balance with trans athletes.

On the other hand, Caster Semenya is not a trans woman. She's a woman by both birth and identity.

Semenya suffers from a rare condition called, "hyperandrogenism," where her body naturally produces elevated levels of testosterone, giving her testosterone levels far above most women and roughly comparable to most men.

As Athos's article points out, the International Association of Athletics Federation decided that Semenya's high testosterone levels give her an unfair advantage over her other female competitors, and that if she wishes to continue to compete with other women, she must take medication to lower her naturally-produced testosterone to a more "appropriate" level. The IAAF also admitted that this ruling is discriminatory. Semenya has been subject to scrutiny for about a decade.

Other articles I have read on this case make a very compelling case for the role that racism has played in both the long investigation and they more recent decisions. Semenya is South African, the second most famous country on the planet for its legally mandated segregation, and a country where, despite Apartheid being abolished 25 years ago, still suffers from the after-effects of that policy.

Semenya's case also introduces discussions about non-binarism, and the existence of biologically intersex individuals, and the time has certainly come to have those discussions.

[watcher1]

Some Russian female athletes, and probably other female athletes from other countries, have been caught using performance-enhancing drugs. Semenya's body naturally secretes high levels of testosterone which seems to give her an advantage. Though she is not at fault for what her body produces, what her body produces seems to give her a competitive edge in track and I can see where the governing body may want to have her condition monitored.

[herschel]

Sorta like a country club tournament where your standing is adjusted by your handicap. That way, you're rewarded for a good effort, not necessarily for the best score. So sometimes you can have friendly competition, like the amateur world, and sometimes you can have cutthroat, like the pros.

[_priapism]

On the other hand, Caster Semenya is not a trans woman. She's a woman by both birth and identity.

This is ridiculous.  The issue is “natural.”  I’m sure Michael Phelps, LeBron James, Floyd Mayweather, Derek Jeter, and Tom Brady all have high levels of testosterone and we *love* it when they dominate the competition.

This is sexist, misogynistic, and not good science.  If her body excretes high levels of hormones, then that is the mark of a champion athlete.  Not a basis for insisting she take an artificial drug to suppress what her body naturally does.

SMH.  

[Athos_131]

This is ridiculous.  The issue is “natural.”  I’m sure Michael Phelps, LeBron James, Floyd Mayweather, Derek Jeter, and Tom Brady all have high levels of testosterone and we *love* it when they dominate the competition.

This is sexist, misogynistic, and not good science.  If her body excretes high levels of hormones, then that is the mark of a champion athlete.  Not a basis for insisting she take an artificial drug to suppress what her body naturally does.

SMH.  

BRB, suing the NBA because a 45 year old can't compete against world class athletes.

#Resist

[Athos_131]

Though she is not at fault for what her body produces, what her body produces seems to give her a competitive edge in track and I can see where the governing body may want to have her condition monitored.

If someone had their way Usain Bolt would be banned over something natural in his body.

#Resist

[RopeFiend]

Semenya suffers from a rare condition called, "hyperandrogenism," where her body naturally produces elevated levels of testosterone, giving her testosterone levels far above most women and roughly comparable to most men.
...

Huh.  I didn't know there was a name for it.  I have the same thing, and have had all my (young to adult) life.  They've only tested it three times over the years, but all tests said I was exactly 4 times the 'average' range for my age, WAY above normal.  Around late puberty the doc said I'd probably be suffering the effects of puberty for the rest of my life, and there wasn't any regimen that would reduce the testosterone.  I had VERY early onset of male pattern baldness, and had my final (nearly bald) hair-do by the time I was 22.  On the flip side, the doc said I'd likely be at low risk for prostate cancer later on in life (now and ongoing).

edit: in men it's called hypergonadism, although I see them calling it that in women as well on some medical sites.

[IdleBoast]

Seen on Twitter: