Ain't I a Woman?

Ain’t I A Woman?

That was the name of the speech Sojourner Truth gave in 1851 in Akron, Ohio. Because back then it was decided by the majority that women- actually white women- were not equal to men and therefore should not be granted the right to vote. Black women were put into a sub-human classification and so technically were fighting to be recognized as human first…but that’s perhaps a blog post for another day.

There’s a lot going on, one of which is that I’m ONE MONTH away from graduation! Currently I am in a human sexuality class and I love it- it may be my FAVORITE course I’ve taken (close second- Forensics) anyway and what I have learned is that 1) some of y’all have never had a comprehensive and thorough sex ed class and it’s showing in your public discourse and 2) some of us are too comfortable wading into arguments about topics which we are ignorant of- or at least have an incomplete understanding of.

People thought Justice Ketanji Brown was dumb for saying that she could not define what “a woman” was. And then a bunch of us were out here in these social media streets “defining what it means to be a woman.”

Don’t get me wrong. Everyone can define womanhood, manhood, etc for themselves. But my problem is when you attempt to define it for me.

And that’s where the fuckery of the “save women’s sport” comes in. I know it’s a contentious topic- hell even under my own roof we have differences of opinion and heated debates- and even as we love and respect each other we still get angry (well I do).

Anyway, we had to write a reflection paper in human sexuality class about something we learned that we found interesting, or intriguing, or challenging, etc. and I chose to write about DSD athletes and womens sport. I’ve attached it below. I already got 100% on it- so you’re not hurting me if you think it’s trash 🤣

But i’m sharing it. 1) at the encouragement of Chuck who never backs down from the opportunity to be contrary, petty, or argumentative (it’s rubbing off on me) and 2) because this matter of DSD athletes competing being unfair… TO ME is bullshit. Elite athletics is about inequity. Either by talent, resources, or my natural biological adaptations, my job is to be BETTER than you. If you aren’t taking drugs to create that inequity well then…damn I guess I’m losing to you until I figure it out.

And if you can’t have a conversation about DSD athletes WITHOUT conflating it with a conversation about Trans Athletes I don’t believe you know as much as you think you do about either.

If you’re still reading- below is my reflection paper:

“Why do men have nipples?” The last time I was asked this question was in a middle school health class, and I do not remember the answer the teacher gave. So when Professor Emi directed this question to the class I perked up again anxious to learn the answer again. In short, men have nipples because at six weeks after conception both XX and XY have undifferentiated gonads. Therefore nipples have to be in place “just in case” the embryo, in the absence of testosterone, becomes “female.” As Professor Emi put it, the “hardware has to already be in place, just in case.”

The sex and gender chapter of the text book expanded my knowledge and awareness about prenatal sex development. One particular point that piqued my interest concerns viewing sex development as a process. A short video embedded within the chapter illustrated the process of differentiation in the gonads. This video, was similar to a time-lapse video and helped me start to think about prenatal sex development as a continuum. On one end are XX and XY embryos that have undifferentiated gonads and on the other “male” or “female” embryos. What I hadn’t thought about before this class was that there are many possible stops along that continuum. This realization sparked an evolution in my thinking concerning sex.

Learning exactly how sex is determined in the body made me think about sex development differently and its implications in the athletic world where I’ve spent half of my adult life so far. I have a friend named Caster Semanya, she’s a South African track and field athlete who specializes in the 800 meter run. After dominating the the field for years her fellow competitors began to raise questions concerning her sex and if she was “female” enough to compete as a woman. After the governing body requested a gender verification test they cleared her to continue to compete as a woman. But as she continued to win Olympic and World Championship medals, other women (particularly those representing European nations) began to protest- one competitor went so far as to not shake Caster’s hand after a championship race. The public began to misgender Caster and demand that World Athletics “do something” to protect women’s sport.

For context, the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) has every elite athlete’s biological passport on file due to the countless drug tests (urine and blood) that we have to submit to each season. Often, WADA knows more about the athlete than the athlete does of themselves. It was WADA that informed me that my iron levels had fallen dangerously low and that I should seek medical help immediately- an unorthodox intervention that ultimately saved my life. WADA in partnership with World Athletics outted several athletes with differences in sexual development, announcing they would be banned from certain events within the sport and setting new limits regarding testosterone levels for their testosterone in order to be eligible to compete as “women.”

There are many discussions taking place about the fairness of allowing female DSD athletes compete in the “women’s” category. But our class discussion on sex development and chapter six of the text book have truly compelled me to look at the case of Caster (and other athletes’ like her) differently. First, as humans, labels help us categorize and understand our world. The implication of this is that we often try to label things in certain terms that which cannot be, like sex and gender. I’m reminded of Justice Kentaji Brown’s confirmation hearing where she was asked to define the word “woman” she responded “ I can’t.” The more educated I become, the more I agree. And yet, the cisgender white men on the board of directors of these sporting governing bodies are defining what it means to be a woman and what hormone levels she must have. But what about persons with XY chromosomes that have androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS)? Are they women? They have XY chromosomes but they don’t have the testosterone levels of the average “male.” Would they be allowed to compete as women? Are women defined by chromosomes? Or their hormones? What level of hormones? And who decides? I have not known how to productively and articulately speak on the subject of DSD athletes until now. So much of what the public believes about sex and gender is wrong or incomplete and the reality that this topic has been politicized is also further complicating the issue.

In February, Professor Emi shared an article called “How Sex Ed Can (And Should) Advance Racial Justice” in honor of Black History Month. Admittedly, I was not sure how or why sex ed could (or should) be used to advance racial justice but after reading the article and watching the public discourse around regulations of these athletes unfold I understood. Right now, the only “known” DSD athletes are from African countries. As a result there are racial and racist undertones to this discussion. For example, DSD athletes have only been banned from events from the 400 meter dash to the mile which are largely considered to be middle to long distance events. Historically, white athletes are overrepresented in these events, while black athletes are overrepresented in the sprint events. If competing as a DSD athlete is as unfair of an advantage as World Athletics and their doctors claim why is it only an unfair advantage in some events. Why is it only unfair to fellow competitors in middle and long distance events? If given the opportunity to have a productive discussion on this topic, education about sex, differences in sex development, and intersex conditions could address a lot the the vitriol and ignorance prevalent in these conversations.

This reflection was one of the more challenging assignments I’ve had this semester because of the vast amount of information introduced in class that has made an impact on me. It was difficult to condense my thoughts down to a few pages. I have learned so much but one of the most important realizations for me is I am now an advocate for sex education for all. I look forward to continuing my education in this subject, not only for others (ie. clients) but for myself as I now understand just how much sexuality is a critical aspect of wellness.