This only shows how gender testing in sports has caused harm for many years, and it is still a problem today.

Something new I learned in this episode was how chromosomes were discovered from testing on cats. I learned that there are dark spots in the cell. This I believe was revolutionary for dna testing in general and probably in medicine world.

As mentioned in the episode, I am at least glad that they moved from nude parades to Barr Body test, because I am still not okay learning about how they used to “check”.

Gender in sports has never stopped me from playing. As a boy, I always felt like I belonged in any sport I wanted to try. When I was six, I started roller skating and became one of the fastest in my country for my age. In my skating club, both boys and girls skated, but I never had to worry about whether I was supposed to be there. No one questioned if I should be skating just because I was a boy.

I also played handball from age nine and got to travel for tournaments. I went to Nepal and played in big events like the Partille Cup in Sweden and Dronninglund Cup in Denmark, both from 2011 to 2013. I was always encouraged and judged based on my skill, not my gender. I never had to fight for my place in the sport. It was just normal for boys to play, compete, and get opportunities.

Thinking about it now, I realize that girls may not always have the same experience. Some sports are seen as “for boys,” and girls might not be encouraged in the same way. It’s unfair that they might have to work harder just to be accepted in certain sports. I was lucky to always feel welcome, but it’s sad that not everyone gets that same chance.

Most of my expectations were confirmed, but a few results surprised me. For example, I thought softball was a more neutral sport, but the polling showed it was more female coded. This might be because softball is not commonly played in my country, so I did not have the same perspective as others. Similarly, I assumed hockey was neutral since it is popular among both men and women in my country, but the polls showed it was more male coded.

One of the biggest surprises was soccer. I expected it to be strongly male coded because of how it originated. Soccer has deep historical ties to men’s teams and competitions, with professional leagues for men forming long before women had similar opportunities. However, the polls showed that soccer is now viewed as more neutral, which suggests that its perception has changed over time. Overall, while most results matched my expectations, these few differences made me realize how gender coding in sports can vary across different cultures and perspectives. I did have a few misclicks through the polls and there was not an option to change the answer so there is that too.

I agree with what Leah Thomas said. There are very few transgender athletes, and the regulations governing their participation in women’s sports have existed for quite some time. They seem to be crying over an issue that is not really there, and I wonder how much of it just comes from personal hatred. There has not been a significant surge in transgender female athletes. Politicians and members of the media who have little interest in women’s sports seem to be the ones who talk about this topic the most. They would concentrate on issues like the pay disparity, insufficient funding, and limited possibilities for female athletes if they genuinely cared about equity. Talking about justice is vital, but we should keep the facts front and center and avoid letting propaganda take over the conversation.

The image might not be clear so I will copy paste below anyway:

In Favor:

I believe that “sports, by design, are not fair,” particularly when considering the geographical or natural advantages that certain athletes possess. For instance, Michael Phelps had a significant advantage in swimming due to his long wingspan and unique capacity to handle lactic acid. In the same way, individuals raised in high-altitude environments frequently develop increased lung capacity and endurance, which can significantly alter performance in endurance competitions. These benefits are inherent to an athlete’s particular genetics and surroundings and cannot be acquired through training alone.

Also, we see cultural or regional influences at work. Some nations have a long history of participating in particular sports, and its athletes are distinguished by their local resources and specific training. For example, certain East African runners are exceptional distance runners, in part because they live and train at high elevations, but also because running is deeply rooted in their culture. Not everyone begins in the same spot in the world of sports because of all these variations. Athletes use their natural or regional advantages to push themselves to the maximum, which may seem unfair, but it’s also what makes sports so interesting.