Testosterone in sports and its effects on athletes

Brittany Long 20146889

PSYC 366

Dr.van Andrews

December 3rd, 2021

 The hormone testosterone is thought to play a considerable role in athletic success. Many

sports force players to compete in gender categories, and invasive sex testing often occurs to

ensure players are in their appropriate category. This sex testing is argued to create a fair playing

field and runs on the assumption that males are the dominant sex. This paper will argue that the

regulations for sex testing should be immediately reconsidered since it is problematic and

discriminates against race and those who do not fit within the gender binary. For instance,

African American women are typically subject to more sex testing than other women in sports

(Pastor, 2019). Intersex and transgender athletes, specifically women, have had difficulty

succeeding in sports because of their high testosterone levels and are forced to alter their

hormone levels or compete alongside male athletes (Pastor, 2019). As well, only subjecting

women to sex testing is unfair and discriminatory, and the category levels in which individuals

compete in sports should be altered to be more inclusive. Thus, African American women are

typically the subject of invasive sex testing compared to other athletes (Pastor, 2019).

African American women are often subject to more sex testing than others because of

their race, which is used to police black women (Pastor, 2019). In addition, professional sports,

specifically track and field, are governed by a heteronormative and white power structure. The

strong presence of heteronormativity and white dominance ensures that racialized individuals,

and those who do not fit the gendered binary, are often discriminated against and placed at an

unfair advantage (Pastor, 2019).

Caster Semenya, a track and field athlete, is just one example of an African American

woman who was forced to undergo sex testing without informed consent. After Semenya won

the Berlin World Championship, she was subject to a series of tests that would determine her

eligibility to continue to compete as a woman (Pastor, 2019). Semenya was then singled out in
popular media as an intersex woman. This public scrutiny of a body that refused to conform to

the norm (of white Western idealized) standards of femininity and feminine physicality further

highlights the policing of non-white non-Western European women bodies (Pastor, 2019).

Semenya was the subject of headlines and tests regarding her sex and race since her body did not

align with the body expectations the current power systems uphold (Pastor, 2019).

In professional sports like track and field, current regulations exemplify the racist and

discriminatory values that are still upheld. These rules dehumanize black bodies, lacking an

intersectional approach for individuals who may not fit into the gender binary that is currently in

place. In addition, the rules reflect racist viewpoints in that they are formed from a white western

ideal and do not account for people outside of this category. (Pastor, 2019).

Sex segregation or "separate but equal" has become the foundation upon which

competitive fairness is judged; as Rand (2013) notes, "like all principles based on gender

binaries, it erases and excludes people who do not fit into one of the categories" (Fische &

McClearen, 2020). These rules in place only consider a two-sex, two-gender binary and are

segregated by male/female due to biological differences between the sexes (Roberts, et al.,

2020). They fail to include other individuals who may not fit into this category. Moreover, the

current system lacks acknowledgment of the complexity of human genetics and human sexuality.

Individuals who identify as women may have naturally higher testosterone levels than others in

the same category (Pastor, 2019).

One of the reasons that African American women are primarily subject to sex testing is

because an ambiguously gendered white body needed to be corrected to retain its whiteness.

However, an ambiguously gendered black body was seen as confirming the essential biological

difference between whites and blacks (Magubane, 2014). Therefore, when these women compete
in competitions typically run by Western societies, they face difficulties because of a system that

was made for white western individuals. Hence are forced to attempt to fit into binary's that do

not include them (Magubane, 2014). Therefore, testing these women means exposing their

testosterone levels, which do not fall within the range needed to compete alongside other women

athletes. Often, these regimes forget that an elite athlete is made, not born; they begin to

highlight and discriminate 'natural' deviances in hormonal levels that presuppose a limited

female capacity for athletic ability (Henne, 2015, as cited in Pastor, 2019). The sports industry

needs to acknowledge the need for reconsidering sex testing as it is racist and ignorant to those

who do not fit into a binary sex-gender system. Intersex and transgender women struggle to

navigate where they fit in within sports because of the strict regulations surrounding testosterone

levels.

Intersex, and transgender athletes, specifically women, have a more challenging time

navigating where they fit in when it comes to sports because of their testosterone levels. At times

these individuals are forced to moderate their hormone levels if they wish to compete amongst

other women (Pastor, 2019. Sporting communities can demonstrate a general ignorance and

prejudice against issues that can become of concern for transgender athletes (Greenspan et al.,

2017; Mountjoy et al., 2016; Symons et al., 2010; Travers, 2006 as cited in Herrick, et al., 2020).

Most competitive sports attempt to make "fair" segregation between female and male athletes in

hopes of equal play. However, where do athletes who are intersex or transgender fit into this

mix? The inclusion of such athletes (intersex and transgender) challenges several cis-

heteronormative beliefs within athletics at all levels of competition (Herrick, et al., 2020). The

transition of many transgender individuals is different as there is no "right" way to transition. Not

all transgender people may choose to transition through gender-affirming surgeries and hormone
treatments medically. Therefore some may have high testosterone levels, and others may have

lower levels (Beek et al., 2015; Coleman et al., 2012; Farber, 2017 as cited in Herrick, et al.,

2020).

Many sport rules can be ignorant of those who do not fit into the binary of a two-sex

category, which creates additional problems for these athletes to maneuver through. Sports are

still organized by the traditional gender binary, which fails to recognize the multiplicity and

complexity of gender, highlighting the exclusion of transgender and intersex athletes (Caudwell,

2014; Dubon et al., 2018; Symons et al., 2010; Travers & Deri, 2011., as cited in Herrick, et al,

2020). If these athletes wish to compete in the gender category in which they identify, they often

are required to alter their bodies to match their competitors, suppressing their testosterone levels

(Roberts, et al., 2020). The inclusion of trans and intersex athletes relies on their bodies'

medicalization because the "overriding sporting objective is and remains the guarantee of fair

competition” (Herrick, et al., 2020). Fair and unfair competition tread on a fine line, as these

regulations are seen as unjust to those who do not fit into the two-sex categories.

Competitive sports attempt to ensure "fair competition" out of fear of men competing

amongst women. The rationale behind sex testing women is primarily due to the assumptions of

male dominance. Males are thought to be a sex that is bigger and stronger and will always win,

despite the growing evidence that says otherwise (Pastor, 2019). Therefore, individuals

competing in the male category are typically not tested since ‘protecting’ the women’s category

is the primary concern. Generally, high testosterone levels are associated with high implicit

power/dominance motivation and social status in men. (Casto & Edwards, 2016).

Consequently, there is a long history of sex testing for women, especially in track and

field competitions. This testing comes in various explorative and invasive forms (Pastor, 2019).
In consequence, if the athletes who do not fall within the gender binary want to compete with

women, they must alter the state of their bodies to fit into the expected 'norm' of the category

(Herrick, et al., 2020). However, changing the state of their body is unfair and unacceptable as

many individuals do not identify with the two gender-binary and are therefore met with

challenging decisions. Thus, Transgender athletes who identify as women must reduce their

testosterone levels to match the "normal" range (below 10nmol/L), which must take place at least

12 months before their first competition. As well as declaring their gender identity as female, and

they are not allowed to change for sporting purposes for a minimum of four years (Fischer, &

McClearen, 2020).

Forcing individuals to alter their natural physiology to compete in their respected gender

category enforces a notion that to be a man or woman, they must fall within a distinct

testosterone level; this discriminates against anyone that does not fit into this belief. Altering

how sports are divided should be reconsidered as the current rules and regulations are unfair and

discriminate against athletes who do not fall into either of these sex categories. Making changes

to the current rules and regulations that are in place in professional sports is a must. The current

rules are unfair and discriminate bodies who do not fit into what society has deemed 'norm'.

Some scientists believe that an individual assigned a female gender at birth, was raised as a girl,

and socially accepted as a woman should have the right and be allowed to compete in the

women’s category, regardless of testosterone levels (Hischberg et al., 2019). Rules and

regulations surrounding sex testing must change to ensure that the rules remain fair and inclusive

for all athletes regardless of their sex/gender and race.

In conclusion, the current rules for professional sports are unfair since only women are

subject to invasive sex testing. The testing is based on the fear of men (or other individuals)
competing and having an unfair advantage of high testosterone levels. Intersex and transgender

athletes have a hard time navigating where they fit in when it comes to sports because of their

high testosterone levels and the current rules in place. As well, African American women being

subject to more sex testing than others is an example of the regulations that were formed from

white western ideologies and serve to exclude athletes of other races. Change needs to be made

to the current categories and rules for athletes whose hormone levels may not align with their

gender/sex, creating fair and inclusive rules for all athletes, not just those who fit into a category.
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