What I find particularly surprising, but more than that troubling, is the manner in which Maximila Imali was required to enter a doctor’s office, sit in front of a male physician, and undergo an examination that involved being undressed and “tested.” This situation is deeply disturbing, and the fact that she was not informed about the purpose of the test only increases the troubling nature of the experience. The lack of transparency and the invasive nature of the procedure show serious ethical concerns. Maximila Imali telling Rose Eveleth how they took her to the Nairobi hospital for testing and “they undressed me in front of a man, the doctor” is beyond sad, especially knowing that she had no idea what was going on. Maximila continues, telling Rose, “I remember that day; it was so emotional, and I was like, ‘How can a man undress me and tell me to lie down? I need to see you. So, he opened my legs. He tested my, my chest and, uh, he took samples. So, I was like, why are these people doing this? Even my mom have never done this to me.” I have done some research and realized Maximila Imali is not the only one to have this done to her. Many women, like Maximila, are not told why these tests are being performed, which makes the experience even more confusing and humiliating. The lack of consent and respect for personal boundaries makes women feel vulnerable and powerless. This kind of treatment harms women and reinforces outdated and harmful ideas about gender and control. There were numerous other aspects in the podcast that were surprising, but the “testing” of women athletes was particularly shocking. This was a new concept for me, as I do not typically find interest in anything sports-related, making the discovery of such treatment both disconcerting and enlightening.

Athletes with conditions like Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) – which was people that did not conform to binary XX-female/XY-male chromosomes – were often treated unfairly and sometimes banned from competing.

In 1985, Maria José Martínez-Patiño was a runner who was told to retire due to her not passing her second sex verification text, the first one being taken in 1983 which she passed. She refused to retire; the public was outraged by this and she faced a lot of backlash.

2004 – IOC allows transgender athletes to participate in the Olympics under the Stockholm Consensus.

Transgender athletes were able to participate as long as they met specific medical and legal criteria. This was the shifting point in the inclusion of transgender peoples in sports.

I have competed in and participated in soccer, and no matter what sport you may go into, you’re bound to face some form of gendering in sport. Gendered divisions through physical ability, expectations, and even opportunities offered based on our gender are real things seen in sports. Societal norms often shape how we are treated, trained, and valued in our sports teams. Even though I have seen these constraints, I have never been the target of them. The majority of the time, my team would focus less on gender and more on skill and ability. However, a lot of girls I know have had gender structures shape their views and experiences. The concept of gender in sports has always been important to how they are organized. Sports were traditionally divided based on physical ability, social roles, and fairness. Over time, many of these divisions were questioned due to changes in science and society. Gendering in sports still persists because of ideas about fairness and biology, but they are being challenged. Even when I have never really faced gendering, it is a real issue for others who want to participate in spots.

I was originally going to choose Female as I have only ever seen Serena Williams play Tennis, but I picked neutral anyways. To my surprise a lot of people picked neutral, then again Tennis doesn’t seem like the type of sport to have a “gender.”

Swimming – Neutral

I was not surprised by the results of Swimming, as I don’t see it having a “gender specific” group that it pertains to. I have seen countless videos of both men and women participating in swimming.

Cheerleading – Female

It was not surprising that 100% of people thought cheerleading was more of a “female” sport. We see movies and shows and even real-life portrayals of what a cheerleader is, and it’s always a woman. I have seen many men cheerleaders, but if we are talking about gender-coding in sports then cheerleading is more “female coded”

Softball – Neutral

I have never seen anything related to softball, but it seemed like a neutral sport to me. It was a bit surprising when I saw more people voting women.

Gymnastics – Female

I was not surprised to find majority of people picking female. Once again Television will show women competing in this category most of the time. Even though there are many great male gymnasts as well.

Hockey- Male

I was not surprised when I saw more people voting male in the poll. When we think of hockey, we think of Toronto maple leaves (or at least I do) and other “popular” hockey teams which are almost always a male hockey team.

Volleyball – Female

More times than not female Volleyball teams get more spotlight than male teams. So, this did not surprise me.

Basketball – Male

Basketball and football seem to always revolve around men, even when there are great female basketball and football teams. I was not surprised to see more people clicking on male. Television seems to only give more attention to male teams.

Power Lifting- Male

Power lifting and strength-based sports have always been seen as “predominantly male” so I was not surprised to see more people voting male.

Soccer – Neutral

I was very happy to see that majority of people clicked on neutral for soccer. I find it very weird when people assume soccer is a more “male” sport. I have played soccer since I was young and I find it very enjoyable, so the fact that these sports can be “gendered” is very wrong to me.

Football – Male

Like I mentioned previously, sports like football and basketball are always focused more on men playing the sport. I’m assuming physicality and strength have something to do with it, as these sports have been known for aggression, strength, and speed, all of these things traditionally being associated with men.

Leah Thomas makes valid points that trans women make up a small percentage of athletes, and many of the medications they are on address the issue of fairness (such as hormone therapy). Their participation in sports does not pose a threat to women as a whole; however, factors like physical advantages (even after hormone therapy) have raised questions about if the competitions are really “fair.” These facts are especially relevant in sports where physical strength and attributes are important. Also, some people may argue that having trans women competing in women’s sports may undermine much of the progress in women’s sports. Progress, like representation, equal pay, and funding, are overlooked; instead, the issue of transgender women in women’s sports creates more division and more problems. As for whether politicians and influencers have overblown this issue, I believe they have. The attention this issue has received outweighs the real-world impact it’s had.