Five Rings and Two Genders: The Future of Gender in the Olympics
by Kendra Cooper
Bruce Jenner wowed the world in the 1976 Olympics, bringing home the gold while setting a new world record in the men’s decathlon. Forty years later, that same athlete no longer identifies as Bruce nor a man. This begs the question: what would happen if this athlete were were to compete in the Olympics this year…as Caitlyn?
Obviously, the Olympics comes with a lot more than just friendly competition. There are many layers to the games that have an effect on society. Because different countries are competing, they are often mildly-to-heavily political. They have a massive media presence, which is an entire section of social power in itself. For many, the Olympics present an opportunity to find our heroes. They are also one of the strictest institutions when it comes to maintaining the male/female binary. With all of the cultural power they have, the fact that the Olympics only allows the option of male or female is problematic.
There are multiple categories for sports in the Olympics, and a wide range for ages. But there are only two categories for gender: men and women. Originally, the rationale for this was that those born as male develop with more muscle mass and have more red blood cells. Sports (like gender) are a bit more complicated than what hearts and lungs can do. They’re not just about strength, they’re also about smarts and strategy. All of those qualities apply to all genders.
In 2014, Dutee Chand was tested by the International Olympic Committee for her hormone levels, and she tested higher than average for testosterone. This qualified her as “male” under the I.A.A.F. standards. The outcome of these tests risked her eligibility to compete. Thankfully, in 2015, an appeals court decided not to prevent her from competing. This case brings up a huge issue with how the Olympics categorize gender. Measuring hormones is blurry — and potentially violating.
Due to the nature of athleticism, the Olympics focus on watching bodies, and they have a history of explicitly monitoring bodies by having athletes line up in the nude. This practice ideologically fuses sex and gender, as it judges physical appearance as the marker of gender. Sex and gender are not the same. Another issue is assuming that there are only two options for sex, leaving out people who are intersex.
Gender is a spectrum. IOC has passed a rule that lets transgender athletes compete without reassignment surgery. While transgender tends to rest within the male/female binary, other genders — like those who identify as non-binary — are left out. While the inclusion of transgendered athletes is progress, it still leaves out other genders.
In states like Oregon, people who are non-binary can get a legal I.D. that states their preferred gender. Canada is also considering offering I.D. to non-binary citizens. Since the Olympics relies on competing teams from different countries, it is possible that the progress these countries have made will put some pressure on the Olympics as a cultural institution to change gender categories in order to represent a spectrum and not a binary.
