Description
Book Synopsis In July 1950, a young Dutch intersex woman was expelled from elite competition by theInternational Amateur Athletic Federation. It turned out to be the beginning of a dark era in thehistory of women in sport. Young women were subjected to humiliating examinations and dozens of intersex athletes were suspended, although no fraudwas 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.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Preface: The Humiliating Practice of Gender Verification—1
- Preliminaries: The Man-Woman Athlete in the 1930s; or, Gender Reassignment in Pre-War Sport—5
- The XX-Games: A Short History of Gender Verification—27
- Dora Ratjen: "Da sei etwas nicht in Ordnung"—43
- Foekje Dillema: "They say I'm not a girl"—54
- Ewa Klobukowska: One Chromosome Too Many—70
- Erika Schinegger: Gender Born or Gender Made?—79
- Stella Walsh: The Murder of the Polish Flyer—90
- Maria José Martinez Patiño: The First Protest—103
- Blackmail and Suicide—112
- Sarah Gronert: Tennis Anyone?—126
- Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand: Changing the Rules—134
Chapter Notes—157
- Bibliography—165
- Index—171
