When I first saw the blog topic of College Athletics, I figured that there was no way that I would find an article or topic of interest in this category that would intrigue me enough to write a blog post about it. College athletics was almost the antithesis of my being. I was the scrawny, uncoordinated geek growing up, much more interested, and much more successful, in books and my studies than I ever was in athletics. I attended a very small, rural high school where excellence in athletics was revered. Along with that success came social status, which further confirmed my place as a second-class citizen in that community.
Further solidifying that notion of being second-class, whether it was simply internal or prompted by society, was the knowledge that I was different. Growing up in such a small community, and before the advent of the internet, I didn’t have a way to define this feeling of being different. Once I had the means to self-identify, pressures from society and religion prevented me from coming out as a gay man. Unfortunately, this repression led to years of internalized homophobia, guilt, fear and shame…emotions that no one should have to endure simply because of who they are.
Thankfully, today’s society is becoming much more accepting of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights. The conference of equal rights is quickly advancing as society becomes more accepting of LGBT individuals. More states have adopted equal marriage rights recently. Laws on immigration rights of bi-national same-sex couples are currently being debated. Even the military has seen great advances, with the demise of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Despite the recent advances in LGB rights, I believe that the average American does not understand what being transgender truly means. This lack of knowledge often leads to fear of the unknown, which confers into discrimination.
One of the areas of society that has typically been more discriminatory is athletics. Over the years, the world of athletics has been a bit sluggish in allowing equal access for women, persons of color, persons of different ability status, and individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. In a recent move, however, the National Collegiate Athletic Association effected a policy change that moved them to the forefront of transgender rights. Based on suggestions from a report from the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Women’s Sports Foundation, the NCAA has adopted an official policy on the inclusion of transgender athletes in collegiate sports “to ensure transgender student-athletes fair, respectful, and legal access to collegiate sports teams based on current medical and legal knowledge.”
I believe that this is a huge leap forward, as athletics have typically been fairly homophobic and transphobic. From the NCLR report titled On The Team: Equal Opportunity for Transgender Student Athletes: “In fact, most school athletic programs are unprepared to address even basic accommodations such as knowing what pronouns or names to use when referring to a transgender student, where a transgender student should change clothes for practice or competition, or what bathroom or shower that student should use.”
The policy change, and the associated best practices, will assist school administrators, athletic directors, coaches, and fellow players with rules that will standardize the acceptance and inclusion of transgender athletes. The policy changes affect NCAA rules regarding mixed teams, as well as the use of banned substances, which in this case, means testosterone. Basically, the new policy allows a student to play on the team of the gender with which they identify, so long as the effects of testosterone have been mitigated. For a female to male (FTM) athlete, this means that the student would be allowed to play on the men’s team, but, due to the hormone treatment undertaken if going through transition, would not be allowed on the women’s team, unless the team designation is changed to mixed. For a male to female (MTF) athlete, the student would have to undergo one year of documented testosterone-suppression treatment to be allowed to play on the women’s team.
While the policy is still slightly discriminatory, it does set forth some progressive standards that will help pave the way for greater inclusion and equality for transgender student athletes. In opposition to the previous progression, athletics may actually be helping to advance equality, instead of lagging behind society in inclusion.
Steve - thanks for sharing. I think your quote from the NCLR was particularly salient. I remember a number of years ago when a high school football team had a female kicker - most of the discussion wasn't about her ability as a kicker, but the fact that she was a girl traveling with boys and "where is she going to shower?" Now we need more high schools (especially more coaches) that are willing to support transgender athletes.
ReplyDeleteGood for the NCAA to move forward with this policy. I hope that high schools follow suit and we're able to see more transgender collegiate athletes in future.
I've never thought of the NCAA as a particularly progressive organization, so I agree with you that this does put them on the forefront of policy equity for transgender students. I find this surprising, but in a positive way.
ReplyDeleteI also find it interesting that the discussion around equity ultimately came down to hormones (testosterone). I get why, but it struck a chord with me. Even in cases of female athletes (whether biologically female or MTF), the hormone that we physically associate with men is dictating what women can do. Has the NCAA actually reinforced the gender binary in creating a gender equity policy?
Thanks for sharing something so very personal. It's great to get to know a little bit more about you and how your past experiences inform and shape your worldview today.
Steve, as the others have said, thanks for sharing your personal story. Like you, I was scrawny in high school (4’ 10” tall and about 80 pounds when I started freshman year). In fact, I took JROTC so that I didn't have to take gym and change in front of other girls who were more physically developed. Even as such an apparently fragile individual, I astounded everyone when I ran a mile only 6 seconds slower (in just over 8 minutes) than the guys in JROTC. Somehow their testosterone level didn't seem to give them that great of an advantage over me in terms of speed. Granted, none of these guys went on to have careers in college athletics, but it would have been an interesting test for me to run a mile against our male basketball standout who did play in college. On a somewhat related note, ROTC still bans transgendered individuals from participating (http://chronicle.com/article/ROTC-Still-Bans-Transgender/126094/), even now that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has been revoked.
ReplyDeleteAs Jill said, the NCAA’s new ruling has created a system where a woman’s right to participate in championship play depends on her having access and desire to undergo testosterone suppression therapy for one calendar year. The NCAA recommends that institutions use the gender classification that student-athletes have from their state (driver’s license, taxes, voter registration, etc.) in the eligibility certification process (search NCAA.org for “Current Ncaa Position Regarding Transgender Student-Athlete Participation And Resource List” for the full details). So in states that allow a person to change the SEX on his or her driver’s license without undergoing surgery, a MTF transgender woman could contribute to getting the team to the championship series, but could not actually play in that championship series unless her testosterone had been medically suppressed for a calendar year. There is no requirement to demonstrate that that athlete’s testosterone is below a certain threshold level, just that the medical treatments have taken place.
Taking this requirement to an extreme, that means that March Madness (in the case of basketball players) could dictate the timing of an individual’s decision to begin medical treatment. After all, if she doesn’t start suppression therapy before the playoffs begin, she won’t be eligible to complete in next year’s NCAA tournament. Although men and women both have varying testosterone levels (as evidenced by thousands of articles on the topic that are included in ProQuest Medical and Health Complete database), the new policy focuses on an arbitrary time span, rather than a testosterone threshold. I propose that a more reasonable policy would include an option to demonstrate that the athlete’s testosterone level fit into the medical range of acceptability for women in general. And if that were the case, shouldn’t ALL college athletes be subject to this same medical test? An interesting article on this topic is available at http://0-search.proquest.com.source.unco.edu/docview/222369201?accountid=12832.
Jill, that's a very interesting thought! Thank you for making me think of it that way. In a way, it can be viewed as a step backwards. Although females do have low levels of testosterone in their systems, basing eligibility around a hormone found in higher levels in males seems to be discriminatory in itself. It's like we're trying to define a woman not based on her womanly qualities, but in terms of how she is NOT a man, which only reinforces the concept of male privilege.
ReplyDeleteRobyn brings up an interesting point as well, but as she states, both men and women have widely varying testosterone levels, so it would be difficult to define a medical range of acceptability.
Thanks for all the positive feedback, everyone!
Sorry, Blogger was being weird in Internet Explorer. I had to download Firefox to be able to post comments on my own blog post.
ReplyDeleteSteve, thank you so much for your post. I appreciate the amount of personal and professional investment you put into your words. This is obviously a sensitive topic for you, and I admire your tact and optimism in response to a system that is still “sluggish” and “slightly discriminatory.” I have spent significantly time working with differently abled children in an after school program, and as a volunteer Special Olympics coach. I was a collegiate athlete, and it never surprises me when I continue to see discrimination in the area of sports and equal rights.
ReplyDeleteThank you for outlining the eligibility elements surrounding males and females in transition. I agree, it still seems to be a discriminatory system. How many individuals who do not identify as transgender are having their testosterone levels tested regularly?
While on subject, I’ve always been somewhat mystified by the prejudices within the GLBT community and gender. As a college athlete, a vast majority of my teammates were outwardly gay, and the notion of “that’s just how it is” in collage softball teams was the stereotype. I even had friends outside of the athletic department ask me things like, “When you go on the road, how do they assign the rooms? I mean, do they make you sleep with “them?”” How sad is that? Even more so, however, I cannot recall a single gay male in the athletic department throughout my four years of play. Let me reframe…I cannot recall a single “out” male athlete. I think that speaks volumes to the amount of prejudice present in multiple layers that exist still today. Yikes.
Lastly, I appreciate you giving voice to transgender individuals, especially. I’ve worked as a counselor within domestic violence shelters for the past three years, and I have had clients who have identified as transgender. DV shelters are only open to “women and their children,” however, and although I hear those same comments you mentioned, (i.e. “Where does she shower?), I’m glad to say we take in clients according to how they identify. I we don’t test hormones! When we do get the opportunity to work with transgender individuals, I’m usually warmed by the humbled experiences by staff and clients who may have previously been ignorant or unfamiliar with issues of equality. Thanks again for your post!
Kylie Rogalla
These posts all raise very insightful discussions and thoughts. I find that woman competing in male sports are increasing in today's culture. I believe Beau is speaking of the female place kicker at CU. Or the first female wrestler who will be wrestling at Davidson next year.
ReplyDeletehttp://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-06-08/sports/fl-college-wrestling-girl-0608-20110607_1_kari-sickles-davidson-college-level
My ex actually wrestled at UNC for a semester until she broke her kneecap. She never got pinned. Title IX allows for the equality of sports between genders. However, if there is not enough interest for one or the other, it allows for that person to show their ability in competing with the opposite sex. This can be seen at the professional level as well. Annika Sorenstam played in the Colonial golf tournament with the PGA players as the second woman of all time to do so. She finished tied for first in driving accuracy and finished tied for 84th out of a 113 person field, one shot behind Nick Price, golf legend and person who said that her playing in the event was a "publicity stunt."
With technology and both males and females getting bigger, faster, stronger, it is not far-fetched to say that women can compete with men in various sports.
Steve, this is a good post. I am intrigued by the issue. At first, my reaction is that it is great news. The NCAA, having been a direct negative factor in a previous position I held in higher ed., is not an organization I respect very much.
ReplyDeleteJill brings up an excellent point though too and I am now pondering the issue. On one hand, I think that the NCAA, to be able to support the decision publicly, needs a scientific definition of how they are defining transgender. And given the issues with performance enhancing drugs and Human Growth Hormone that have been a part of amateur athletics for a long time, I understand the need to put the definition in terms of chemistry.
I hope that you are right Steve, that this is a huge leap forward. However, I think it is possible as Jill implies, that it could do some damage to the overall societal acceptance of transgender individuals. I honestly don't know. My education about transgender identity is not expansive. My education largely consists of a good friend who identifies as transgender and has been very open and patient with me when I ask questions about his experience. I am wondering what his thoughts will be on this issue...
thanks for making me think about it!