For your perusal!
Aguilar, M. G. W. (2023). Inclusive sports in Philippine higher education: Determining attitudes towards transgender students’ participation. Simulacra, 6(1), 95–108. https:doi.org/10.21107/sml.v6i1.19796
This research delves into how athletes from Philippine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) view transgender participation in sports. By employing both surveys and structured interviews, it aims to address a gap in knowledge within the Philippines. Preliminary results indicate that student-athletes generally support transgender individuals competing in sports categories that match their gender identity. Additionally, there's openness towards establishing separate categories for transgender athletes. These findings suggest a shift towards more inclusive practices in college sports, emphasizing diversity and equal opportunities for all, regardless of gender identity.
Anderson, L., Knox, T., & Heather, A. (2019). Trans-athletes in elite sport: inclusion and fairness. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences, 3(6), 759–762. https://doi.org/10.1042/etls20180071
In this article, physiology researchers Anderson, Knox, and Heather critique the IOC’s 2019 ruling on transwomen athletes’ participation, calling their testosterone levels—whether limited or not—an intolerably unfair advantage. To remedy this, the three propose that to properly include trans athletes, Olympic sport should do away with the gender binary in competition and instead be replaced with an algorithm, similar to the Paralympics’, in which physiological and social factors determine the category one competes in. This includes testosterone levels, gender identity, and socioeconomic background. The researchers propose that the algorithm be applied to all athletes for maximum inclusion and fairness.
Braumüller, B., Menzel, T., & Hartmann-Tews, I. (2020). Gender Identities in Organized Sports—Athletes’ Experiences and Organizational Strategies of Inclusion. Frontiers in Sociology, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2020.578213
Gender and sport studies researchers Braumüller, Menzel, and Hartmann-Tews tackle transnegativity in sports and how trans individuals are excluded on social and organizational dimensions. They argue that non-cisgender athletes are the most likely to be discriminated against, due to the hegemonic masculinity of typical sports culture. While previous research states that trans athletes receive less social support and are more prone to mental health problems, this paper asserts that trans athletes are less likely to have negative experiences nowadays with sports slowly becoming more inclusive and/or due to trans athletes’ self-exclusion from certain aspects of sports.
Chinchilla, R. (2024, April 7). Dawn Staley: Trans athletes should be allowed to play women’s sports. NBC News; NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/dawn-staley-trans-athletes-allowed-play-womens-sports-rcna146745
In this article, reporter Rudy Chinchilla recounts an interview with South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley, in which Staley insists that if you consider yourself a woman, then you should be able to play, regardless of anything else. The article also contextualizes the current state of affairs in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and South Carolina state in terms of transgender inclusion—both of which are hostile. To this, Staley remains resolute on her stance, however.
Dioquino, D. (2023, November 15). Weightlifting head calls for ban of trans athletes in PH sports. RAPPLER. https://www.rappler.com/sports/monico-puentevella-calls-ban-transgender-athletes-philippines/
Monico Puentevella, head of the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas, argued for the exclusion of transgender athletes from Philippine sports. He pushed for lawmakers to draft a bill preventing transgender participation, citing it as a major concern in weightlifting alongside doping. Despite his stance, international sports bodies have shown increasing acceptance of transgender athletes. Examples include Laurel Hubbard, the first openly transgender Olympian, and Quinn, the first transgender and non-binary Olympic medalist and FIFA Women’s World Cup competitor. However, the inclusion of transgender athletes remains controversial, with some federations implementing bans or considering separate categories to address fairness concerns.
Fenech, M., & Gatt, B.A. (2023). A Study of Challenges that Transgender Athletes Face in Sports. MCAST Journal of Applied Research & Practice, 7(1), 165–179. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0053.6898
Philosophy researcher Fenech and social worker Gatt detail the difficulties trans athletes face in Malta. It details their struggles with conditional forms of inclusion based on certain criteria, a lack of educational awareness in coaches and administrators, backward policies, and a lack of gender-neutral spaces. These must be improved upon, the researchers say, to create a more inclusive environment for trans athletes.
Gleaves, J., & Lehrbach, T. (2016). Beyond fairness: the ethics of inclusion for transgender and intersex athletes. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 43(2), 311–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2016.1157485
Sport philosophy researchers Gleaves and Lehrbach posit that the inclusion of trans and intersex athletes should go beyond “fairness.” They argue that the physiological gender binary is limited and that sport is viewed narrowly—it is not solely a physical competition, but also an avenue to enrich individual identity. Inclusion is psychologically beneficial regarding identity formation, acceptance, self-esteem, and empowerment. It also differentiates trans and intersex struggles; the former is concerned with constructing gendered narratives that align with their identity, while the latter has their biological sex presenting challenges for them within a binary view of sport.
Greey, A. D. (2023). A part of, yet apart from the team: Substantive membership and belonging of trans and nonbinary athletes. Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne de Sociologie, 1(1), 154-164. https://doi.org/10.1111/cars.12415
Written by nonbinary PhD candidate and athlete Ali Durham Greey, this article argues that both institutional and social rules influence trans athletes’ inclusion in sports. Institutional and governing roadblocks masquerade as “saving women’s sport,” a sentiment inconsequent to hetero-patriarchal and “trans-exclusionary radical feminist” (TERF) organizations prior to trans athletes threatening the gender binary and sexual hierarchy. Greey also outlines the subtle and overt interactional methods that signal trans athletes’ belongingness, such as having one’s inclusion contingent upon the assumption that they are cisgender, being shunned from gendered bathrooms, and having one’s pronouns disrespected.
Griffin, P. (2012). Ain’t I a woman?” Transgender and intersex student athletes in women’s collegiate sports. In In A. Enke (Ed.), Transfeminist Perspectives in and Beyond Transgender and Gender Studies (pp. 98–111). Temple University Press.
Professor of Social Justice Education Pat Griffin tackles the issues cropping up from the assumption that gender is binary—especially in regard to transgender and intersex athletes. Most importantly, however, the chapter debunks the idea that there can ever be a true “level playing field,” given how a fundamental aspect of sport is gaining advantage over one another. Griffin then ends with suggestions on how to justly include trans and intersex athletes in sports, such as eliminating sex-based categories or expanding them to include participants whose bodies do not fall under the gender binary.
Gurlly, A. W. (2023). Trans Inclusion in Sports: Assumed Advantages, (Un)Fairness, and Athlete Well-Being. In T. L. Rentner & D. P. Burns (Eds.), Social Issues in Sports Communication: You Make the Call (pp. 1–327). Routledge.
In this chapter, communication professor Gurlly uses the rules of artistic gymnastics to illustrate the assumptions of sports governing bodies about trans bodies and capabilities—and subsequently, trans inclusion in the sport. The study follows Judith Butler’s assertions that gender is performed, challenging the norm that gender equals physical sex. However, Gurlly notes that while strides have been made in more inclusive sports gender paradigms, such as the IOC’s 2021 framework, loopholes can still be found as in the case of artistic gymnastics. It also discusses similar arguments for (fairness, representation) and against (unfairness, lack of safety) trans inclusion.
International Olympic Committee. (2021, September 16). IOC Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations. https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-releases-framework-on-fairness-inclusion-and-non-discrimination-on-the-basis-of-gender-identity-and-sex-variations
In 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued this framework to promote the inclusion of trans athletes—more specifically, trans women—and intersex athletes in sport while maintaining fair competition. It is an amendment of an older IOC policy that requires trans women athletes to undergo hormone therapy and follow a limited testosterone level throughout all sports. It instead encourages each sport to determine its guidelines on how to include trans women. It also discusses how sports governing bodies should be more respectful of athletes’ privacy regarding their sex, and that no advantages should be assumed unless evidence is provided.
John, E. (2023, November 5). The Race to Be Myself by Caster Semenya review – running for her life. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/05/the-race-to-be-myself-by-caster-semenya-review-running-for-her-life
Caster Semenya had been born with “differences in sex development” (DSD): internal testes instead of ovaries resulted in testosterone levels that fell within the normal adult male range, which is far higher than the normal female one. Since their reintroduction in 2018, she has fought to have them lifted, losing her case at the court of arbitration for sports (CAS), and winning the right to appeal from the European court of human rights in July.
Juico, P. E. (2023, April 12). Transgender female athlete controversy heats up. BusinessWorld Online. https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2023/04/12/516301/transgender-female-athlete-controversy-heats-up/#google_vignette
The article delves into the controversy surrounding transgender women and girls participating in female sports, spotlighting recent incidents and debates. It outlines opposing viewpoints on fairness, safety, and inclusivity, reflecting the complexity of the issue. The assault on former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines after her opposition to transgender inclusion exemplifies the intensity of the discussion. While arguments for transgender inclusion are presented, attempts to reach a compromise through regulations face criticism. The article concludes by suggesting that the topic may become more prominent in the Philippines as LGBTQ groups advocate for transgender rights in sports.
Mokoena, T. (2023, October 28). Caster Semenya: “How would I label myself? I’m an African. I’m a woman. I’m a different woman.” The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/oct/28/athlete-caster-semenya-interview-im-a-woman-im-a-different-woman
Runner Caster Semenya had to start taking the hormones at the end of 2009 to bring her naturally high testosterone levels down to a concentration accepted by the IAAF. She said she felt so low and struggled to get up while on the hormones from 2009 to 2015. But lowering her testosterone became the only acceptable way to appease the IAAF and keep competing. She achieved at some time at Olympic and world championship level between 2011 and 2015. Fortunately, in 2015, a temporary Cas ruling suspended the IAAF’s hyperandrogenism rules.
Montilla Doble, J., Senga, B.N. & Villaceran, M.A. (2022). SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER EXPRESSION, AND SEX CHARACTERISTICS A Primer. https://rainbowresearchhub.up.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/SOGIESC_-A-Primer-2 022.pdf
This primer from the Filipino LGBTQI research group UP Rainbow Research Hub discusses the basics of SOGIESC—its parts, terms, and definitions—as well as highlights the diversity of human sexuality and gender. It emphasizes the need for a better and more holistic understanding of SOGIESC within Filipino society and beyond in order to foster and promote a more just, inclusive, and equitable world through raising awareness and deconstructing the structures that oppress the queer community.
Mosier, C. (2014). Chris Mosier. Chris Mosier. https://www.thechrismosier.com/about-1/
This is the website about Chris Mosier. He is a triathlete. Also, he is known as the first transgender man to represent the United States in international competition and a catalyst for change in the International Olympic Committee policy on transgender athletes. Moreover, he is also a two-time national champion and the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Trials in any sport in a category different than their sex assigned at birth.
Pérez-Samaniego, V., Fuentes-Miguel, J., Pereira-García, S., López-Cañada, E., & Devís-Devís, J. (2019). Experiences of trans persons in physical activity and sport: A qualitative meta-synthesis. Sport Management Review, 22(4), 439–451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2018.08.002
In this study, social science and sport researchers Pérez-Samaniego et al. explore the lived experiences of trans athletes as they navigate challenges within sport. They identified four conceptual blocks from their research and how these can include or exclude trans athletes: language (use of pronouns, overcoming gender normativism), facilities and spaces (public scrutiny, changing rooms), transgendering strategies (gender performance, gender expression), and abjection (maintaining the boundaries of “acceptable” self-concepts, which can result to symbolic violence).
Strohschein, J. (2023, October). How sports are handling transgender women in competition. Dw.com; Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/how-sports-are-handling-transgender-women-in-competition/a-66973847
Reporter Strohschein discusses how the 2023 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Berlin will introduce a separate trans category for athletes. It also contains a brief backgrounder on the topic of trans athletes in sports, their exclusion from past sporting events, and the many policies involved in making sport fairer. More importantly, however, it discusses that the establishment of a separate trans category does not equate to inclusion.
Tanimoto, C., & Miwa, K. (2021). Factors influencing acceptance of transgender athletes. Sport Management Review, 24(3), 452–474. https://doi.org/10.1080/14413523.2021.1880771
This study revealed several key findings about the acceptance of transgender athletes in sports events. Trans men were more accepted than trans women by the respondents. Moreover, trans athletes who underwent hormone treatment were considered more acceptable. Trans athletes were more accepted in unofficial sporting events for children and adults compared to official national and international events. For respondents with weaker athletic identities, higher belief in a just world was positively associated with acceptance. Stronger athletic identity was positively associated with acceptance for men but negatively associated with acceptance for women.