7th Genre Project - Helpful or Hurtful?

Helpful or Hurtful? A Letter to the IOC

Megan Ervin

5/1/14

Dear IOC,
Helpful or hurtful? Does the IOC ask themself this before humiliating someone in front of many people? I am talking about testing a person for high levels of testosterone or swabbing someone to see if they have an inactive X chromosome which generally appears in women. The test is a very invasive procedure usually involving the genitals. The IOC should consider this before potentially ruining someone's career, yet more significantly, their life. Maria Patino failed a gender test. She was simply humiliated. Patino was stripped of her medal, her records were eliminated, her scholarship revoked, her fiancé left, and she was kicked off the National team. Sure, you can argue that they should know what they are getting into once they complete training then sign up to compete, but these are humans. People with feelings, dreams, and aspirations just like anyone else on this planet.


The IOC has determined that androgen levels are now the measure of whether or not an athlete can compete as a woman. The argument is that even though men and women both produce testosterone, men typically have 10 times more circulating in the body. Because the use of synthetic testosterone has been clinically linked to increased athletic performance, the IOC policy is based on the hypothesis that even a natural amount above average female levels would confer an advantage. Yet regardless of the complexities of calling out women with hyperandrogenism, there is still the dubious issue of testing athletes based purely on suspicion of not being female.

Yet still, you can not let everyone who professes to be a woman compete. I mean, come on! It is common sense. If this were the case, any man could register with the women and have an advantage, an edge over the female competitors. This would not be a sensible solution. Though I do not have a reasonable idea on how to test without being invasive, I do believe confidentiality is key to success and prosperity. A simple swab would do the trick. Instead of "announcing the results over a microphone." An effective way to preserve the confidentiality of a runner would be to have a personal meeting (one on one) with the competitors. This is the way I wuld solve this controversial issue.

　

Thank You,

Megan Ervin

　

Source Cited

Shapiro, Samantha. "Caught in the Middle." Olympic Sports. ESPN, 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 1 May 2014.