This episode introduced me to the concept of Differences in Sex Development (DSD) for the first time. I had never heard of this term before, and I was surprised to learn how people with DSD are often subjected to invasive and dehumanizing treatment, especially in sports. It made me realize how society tries to categorize people strictly as male or female, even when biology is more complex than that. One of the most shocking moments in the episode was Max’s experience. She was told to lay down, undress, and be examined without any explanation. No one told her why these tests were being done, and she didn’t find out until months later that she had high testosterone. The fact that doctors and officials didn’t even feel the need to communicate with her showed how little control she had over her own body. It was frustrating to hear how athletes like Max are treated as medical subjects rather than as people with rights and dignity, and how eventually they told Max she could not compete in the races anymore. It’s insanity to me that someone can train and be an athlete their entire life and then one day gets told they cannot compete in the sport they love anymore. This episode made me rethink how sports and institutions regulate gender. It’s unfair that someone’s identity and ability to compete can be questioned and controlled.

References

Mertens, M. (2024, August 12). A dam-break moment for women in Olympics. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/08/olympics-marathon-women/679424/

I never really thought about the gendering of sports growing up, but looking back, I can see how it played a role in my experiences. I played rep soccer, rep volleyball, and competitive dance, and each sport had its own way of separating boys and girls. With dance, it was mostly girls at my studio, I can only remember about four boys total. It was just the norm, and no one questioned why dance seemed to be a so called “girl’s sport.” I never thought about whether boys felt uncomfortable joining or if they faced any judgment for being there. In soccer, the girls’ and boys’ teams never interacted. We did not practice together, and we were told it would be too “interfering” if we did practice together. At the time, I did not question it, but now I wonder why that was the case. It made it feel like boys and girls were playing two completely different versions of the sport, even though it was the same game. Perhaps the coaches thought the boys were to good to play against us girls. With volleyball, I really noticed the unfairness. The boys team always got to book the gym before us, meaning the girls had to practice until 10 p.m. at night. It felt like our team was less important in a way, even though we were just as competitive. While I never felt directly excluded from sports because of my gender, I do see now how the way sports were structured sent messages about whose time and space mattered more. It makes me wonder how different things could have been if these sports were more integrated, and equal.

Football – Male

Powerlifting – Male

Basketball – Male

Volleyball – Neutral

Softball – Female

Baseball – Male

Cheerleading – Female

I would say my assumptions are pretty generalized and based off either my experience in that sport or from growing up watching that sport on television. The only thing that surprised me was that the votes for volleyball were higher for female. I grew up playing the sport, and our club team had just as many guys teams as women’s teams, so to me and my experience it was a more neutral gendered sport.

I have mixed feelings about Leah Thomas’s statement. I get what she’s saying, trans women are a small group in sports, and there hasn’t been a huge takeover like some people claim. The NCAA has had rules for years, and if trans women were dominating, we would have seen it by now. It does make me wonder if politicians and influencers are blowing this issue out of proportion, especially since many of them don’t seem to care about women’s sports any other time. Also at the same time, I also understand why some female athletes are worried. Sports are competitive, and even small differences in strength, speed, or endurance can matter. As someone who played rep soccer, volleyball, and dance, I know how much work goes into competing. If there’s even a slight advantage, it could impact fairness, and I don’t think that concern should just be ignored.