If the idea of switching genders came up in conversation ten years ago, it would have caught listeners off-guard.  The concept of undergoing surgery to change physical sexuality still baffles people, yet well-known and respected organizations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have scrambled to draft policies — allowing those who desire to identify with the opposite gender to do so in international competition.

When I heard that the IOC had implemented policy to accommodate transgender athletes I was puzzled, to say the least, at how the committee could possibly see this as fair.  In the most historic athletic rivalry known to man, the lines have been blurred between even the most recognizable of human attributes. My first question was this:  how has society become so accepting of such changes?  Why are members of the IOC going out of their way to ensure that he or she can compete in the competition they so desire?  Could it be to avoid critical attacks from the media for not conforming to the new age of gender neutrality and acceptance of personal sexual identity? Quite possibly.

Cynics may cry that this new rule could lead to athletes taking advantage of the system; if a male track runner decides to “identify” with women, and thus undergoes physical surgery to make that identification permanent, he (she?) could compete in the female races with all the athletic ability of a man.  The differences between male and female performance are undeniably noticeable.  How, then, could a man compete as a women?  The IOC is one step ahead of the complaints.  In their policy, they specify these rules:

1. Those who transition from female to male are eligible to compete in the male category without restriction.

2. Those who transition from male to female are eligible to compete in the female category under the following conditions:

2.1. The athlete has declared that her gender identity is female. The declaration cannot be changed, for sporting purposes, for a minimum of four years.

2.2. The athlete must demonstrate that her total testosterone level in serum has been below 10 nmol/L for at least 12 months prior to her first competition (with the requirement for any longer period to be based on a confidential case-by-case evaluation, considering whether or not 12 months is a sufficient length of time to minimize any advantage in women’s competition).

2.3. The athlete’s total testosterone level in serum must remain below 10nmol/L throughout the period of desired eligibility to compete in the female category.

2.4. Compliance with these conditions may be monitored by testing. In the event of non-compliance, the athlete’s eligibility for female competition will be suspended for 12 months. *

Fear not, female Olympians!  Men can only steal your gold medals if they prove that their testosterone levels are low enough as to classify them as “no longer male.”  Yes, that was indeed facetious. 

The IOC is not the only organization that has chosen to shift policy for this upcoming “trend” in gender transitioning.  The Association of Boxing Commissions, British Rowing, Disability Sports Australia, Rugby Football Union (UK), The Football Association (UK), The International of Athletics Federation, and the International Quidditch Association are among the many administrations that have developed procedures to regulate the participation of transgender athletes.

My concern is this: if even the Olympics are adjusting to this rising trend, what’s next?  Neutral bathrooms? Gender neutral prom court nominations? Tradition is often the only principle that keeps everyone in their place.  I fear that in twenty years  nothing will be the same and people will have become so concerned with being “socially accepting” that tradition will be a thing of the past.  That the little “male” or “female” on the top of our birth certificates may as well be written in erasable ink.

*http://www.transathlete.com/#!policies-by-organization/c1vyj