Talking about sex: biology and the social interpretations of sex in sport

• Published in: Canadian woman studies 2002-12, Vol.21 (3), p.36
• Main Authors: Kirby, Sandra, Huebner, Judith
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Athletes; Athletic ability; Attitudes; Biology; Children; Gender identity; Inference; Laws, regulations and rules; Logic; Physiological aspects; Reinforcement; Sex (Biology); Sex chromosome abnormalities; Sex discrimination against women; Sexuality; Sports; Stereotypes; Testing; Titles; Women
• ISSN: 0713-3235

Second, are the chromosomal problems. Accuracy of Barr Body tests depends on the expertise of the technician. In addition, a number of sex chromosomal and genetic conditions can result in Barr Body results at odds with other indicators. A normal male (XY) has a penis present and no Barr Bodies; a Turners female (XO) has no penis and no Barr bodies. On the other hand, a normal female (XX) has no penis and has one Barr Body, while a Klinefelters male (XXY) has a penis and has one Barr Body. Thus on the basis of the Barr Body test, a Turners female would not be verified and would be unable to participate in women's competition while a Klinefelters male would be verified female and would be permitted to compete. Likewise, women with androgen insensitivity (testicular feminization) syndrome appear and act female. In fact, these individuals often display "ideal" female figures. They have always been treated as females, behave like females, and consider themselves female; however their karyotype is XY and they have no Barr Bodies and would be disqualified from competition in women's events on that basis. Sport is a gendered social world that is bifurcated along the gender lines. There is an internal logic to sport, a logic with several strands. One strand is that sport prepares boys to be men. There are masculine sports such as football and ice hockey where boys can be boys becoming men--and single sex competition ensures that "girls don't challenge boys." The second strand is that sport for males has been called sexuality suppressed by militarism (McKay). Sport idealizes things heterosexual and is homophobic to a great degree (Griffen). Some male athletes put on public displays of sexual prowess, establishing competitions for sexual titles. These competitions, including the practice of hazing or initiation, include heterosexual and sometimes hyper-heterosexual behaviours and expressions of attitudes. Female athletes appear to be stereotyped as either "the girl next door" or a lesbian. Despite the fact of women's century long competition is sport, excellent female athletes are still called tomboys, amazons and dykes, the inference being that if females are good athletes then they cannot be real women. The third strand in the internal logic of sport is that it is a site for the reinforcement of the sexual division of labour (Thompson). Within this, female athletes put on the public performance of being feminine girls and women in sports such as rhythmic gymnas-tic