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

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.

List 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

About the author

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

Product details

• Authors: Max Dohle
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 18
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 09.07.2020
• EAN: 9781476673783
• ISBN: 978-1-4766-7378-3
• No. of pages: 179
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 229 mm x 9 mm
• Weight: 231 g
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Subjects: Guides > Sport > General, dictionaries, handbooks, yearbooks, history; Transgender, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Women's Studies, SPORTS & RECREATION / History, Sports & outdoor recreation, Gay & Lesbian studies, Gender studies: women, Gender studies: women and girls, SOCIAL SCIENCE / LGBTQ+ Studies / General, Sports and Active outdoor recreation, Gender studies: transgender & intersex, LGBTQIA+ Studies / topics