Transgender rights have been hot topics in the world recently, especially after Caitlin Jenner opened up to the world and gave us all something to think about. Now the IOC has said transgender athletes should be able to compete in Olympic events without undergoing gender reassignment surgery.
The International Olympic Committee chose to change their standing policy in order “to adapt to current scientific, social and legal attitudes on transgender issues,” according to the New York Times.
Female-to-male athletes are now free to compete in the events of their choosing without regulations to follow. While female-to-male transgender athletes will now have no restrictions to adhere to in order to compete, male-to-female transgender athletes will have to meet some requirements in order to be eligible for the Olympics. These athletes will have to prove their testosterone levels have been below a certain level, specifically fewer than 10 nanomols, for at least a year before they are able to compete.
Before the IOC changed their policy on transgender athletes, the rules stated that they were required to have had gender reassignment surgery and two full years of hormone therapy before they were allowed to compete in any event. The IOC made this original ruling in 2003 under the overriding attitude that the competition must be fair.
Now, over a decade later, the IOC has stated, “Since the 2003 Stockholm Consensus on Sex Reassignment in Sports, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of autonomy of gender identity in society, as reflected in the laws of many jurisdictions worldwide… It is necessary to ensure insofar as possible that trans athletes are not excluded from the opportunity to participate in sporting competition.” While fairness is still a priority, the IOC now recognizes that some transgendered people may not be interested in having the surgery and forcing them to conform to society’s gender ideal was unfair. The IOC saw this as a human rights issue and corrected their original policy.
Of course as with all social change, there has been some backlash. In a recent article David Whitley of the Orlando Sentenial wrote, “I don't know about you, but I strive to be tolerant, enlightened and avoid being considered a knuckle-dragging moron. But I have to admit, the IOC's move feels like a bridge too far.” Well, it looks like all the self-proclaimed “knuckle-dragging morons” of the world will have to hop on the transgender rights train soon, because this is a conversation that is not slowing down.
