"They say I'm not a girl": Case Studies of Gender Verification in Elite Sports

by Max Dohle

Overview

In July 1950, a young Dutch intersex woman was expelled from elite competition by the International Amateur Athletic Federation. It turned out to be the beginning of a dark era in the history of women in sport. Young women were subjected to humiliating examinations and dozens of intersex athletes were suspended, although no fraud was ever uncovered.

This book presents a compelling argument against gender verification, showing the pernicious effects that suspension inflicted on the lives of young athletes. Some withdrew from the public eye, lived in solitude, or even committed suicide. Compassionate profiles of these banned athletes highlight the unfair play of gender verification and of their exclusion from competition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476637013
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	06/19/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	179
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Max Dohle is a sports historian specializing in gender aspects of elite competition. He lives in the Netherlands.
Max Dohle is a sports historian specializing in gender aspects of elite competition. He lives in The Netherlands.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface: The Humiliating Practice of Gender Verification
Preliminaries: The ­Man-Woman Athlete in the 1930s; or, Gender Reassignment in ­Pre-War Sport
The ­XX-Games: A Short History of Gender Verification
Dora Ratjen: “Da sei etwas nicht in Ordnung”
Foekje Dillema: “They say I’m not a girl”
Ewa Klobukowska: One Chromosome Too Many
Erika Schinegger: Gender Born or Gender Made?
Stella Walsh: The Murder of the Polish Flyer
Maria José Martinez Patiño: The First Protest
Blackmail and Suicide
Sarah Gronert: Tennis Anyone?
Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand: Changing the Rules
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index