CAAWS 2000
By Karine Henrie

Gender Testing is Passé

A woman will not have to prove she is a woman to compete in the Athens Olympic Games this summer. Responding to the growing number of concerns, the IOC finally decided to take action. On June 17, 1999 the IOC Session agreed "to refrain, on an experimental basis, from performing gender tests at the 2000 Games in Sydney. The IOC will nonetheless reserve the right to conduct such tests, if necessary." This ruling means that, unless there are strong doubts concerning the gender of a woman, gender testing will not be conducted in Sydney.

What is gender testing exactly? Gender verification is performed by submitting athletes to the sex chromotin test. This test, more commonly called the buccal smear, relies on the fact that most female cells contain two X chromosomes and that most male cells contain one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. To establish the gender of a female athlete, a cell sample is taken from inside the cheek. The cells are then analyzed under a microscope. If the two X chromosomes are present the athlete has official confirmation of her gender.

But what this test does not take into account is the fact that some women may have chromosomal variations (they don’t have the standard XX in their cells). These variations would cause a woman to fail a gender test. At the Atlanta Olympic Games, apparently 1 in 400 females failed the gender test, but with further testing were "reinstated" as females.

Many problems have surfaced with the test’s consistency, accuracy and dependability. Inaccurate results can have severe psychological impacts on a woman who learns her gender is in doubt. Therefore, since gender verification is far from being a precise and reliable process, and the possibility of a man impersonating a woman is very slim, it is a wise decision by the IOC to drop this antiquated test.

reprinted with permission