This article needs to be updated.(October 2023) |
LGBTI Olympians and Paralympians |
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Lists of LGBT+ Summer Olympic athletes Contents |
List of LGBT+ Winter Olympians; by debut |
List of LGBT+ Paralympians; by debut |
List of intersex Olympians |
List of LGBT+ artists at the Olympics |
History and issues |
There have been 16 [lower-alpha 1] modern Olympic athletes widely known to have an intersex (disorders/differences of sex development) condition. [lower-alpha 2] [lower-alpha 3] The 1932 Summer Olympics was the first instance of an athlete now known to be intersex competing, also winning a medal. 7 have won a medal (43.75% of intersex athletes), with 3 winning at least one gold (18.75% of intersex athletes). [lower-alpha 1] The majority of intersex Olympians have competed in athletics, generally running. [lower-alpha 1]
The Olympics have "been dealing with" intersex athletes since the 1930s, with notable cases appearing at the 1936 Summer Olympics in the form of Stella Walsh and Heinrich Ratjen. Walsh's case was handled sympathetically, while Ratjen's Games appearance may have been deliberately dishonest. [1] In the 1960s, when systemic doping became a significant issue and it was harder to tell the difference between men and doped women, sex verification was first implemented. [1] [2] An early and inadequate test in 1967 incorrectly identified Ewa Kłobukowska as not female, seeing her past Olympic achievements written off and her career end. [3] Between 1968 and 1998, all female athletes at the Olympics were subject to sex verification as a matter of process [2] [4] [5] (with the exception of Anne, Princess Royal, who competed in 1976). [6] [lower-alpha 4] Until 1992, the test used was to identify chromosomes, something that had been deemed unreliable in the scientific community for decades; [2] [1] Maria José Martínez-Patiño was banned from women's athletics after qualifying for the 1988 Summer Olympics, before being allowed to compete again later that year. [5] [9]
Prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics, intersex Brazilian judoka Edinanci Silva had surgery to allow her to continue in women's sport. She would appear at this Games and several other editions. [1] Also competing in 1996 were eight (unknown) female athletes who were discovered to have an intersex condition upon testing (seven with androgen insensitivity); all were cleared to compete and, after the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) abolished the universal testing so as to protect the dignity of athletes who do not already know they have these conditions. [1] [2] The IOC do still perform sex testing for athletes of any gender (though invariably women) when "serious doubts" are raised. [1] In 2012, the IOC changed its mode of verification, testing for testosterone, which has also been considered unreliable and discriminatory. [5] The suspicion-based approach has been criticised as it enables racist discrimination. [10] Various international medical and sports professionals have advocated for the abolition of sex verification in sport, and specifically the Olympics. [2] [11] In 2018, World Athletics began requiring intersex women to take medications or have surgery in order to be eligible, which could prevent them from attending events that serve as Olympic qualifiers. [4] Successful intersex Olympian Caster Semenya has refused to take hormone medication, which saw her banned from participation. [12]
All based on the List of intersex Olympians
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Sport | Number of Olympians by gender | ||
---|---|---|---|
Female | Male | Total | |
Athletics | 9 | 1 [N 4] | 10 |
Boxing | 2 | — | 2 |
Football | 1 | — | 1 |
Judo | 1 | — | 1 |
Swimming | — | 1 | 1 |
Volleyball | 1 | — | 1 |
Δ Was known to be widely out prior to their most recent Olympic competition; contemporaneously out while competing
† Came out after competing
‡ Posthumously identified as intersex
Athlete | Country | Sport | Games | Medal(s) | Notes | Regulations and verification | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stanisława Walasiewicz (a.k.a. Stella Walsh) ‡ | Poland | Athletics | 1932, 1936 | Won a gold medal in 1932 and a silver medal in 1936. An autopsy discovered that Walsh was intersex and experienced mosaicism; it was determined she likely did not know, and her achievements have not been expunged. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [1] | There were no formal regulations in the 1930s. Anecdotally, Walsh's rival Helen Stephens reported that in 1936, Adolf Hitler personally groped her as a form of sex verification. [18] | ||
Heinrich Ratjen † | Nazi Germany | Athletics | 1936 | Ratjen's sex characteristics were ambiguous from birth. Though he was raised as female, and for many years competed as "Dora Ratjen" (including at the Olympics), he said he was conscious that he was somewhat biologically male from childhood. In 1938, he was arrested and held in Hohenlychen Sanatorium for a year, being examined by SS doctors who found Ratjen to have some intersex characteristics (not just male genitalia). Upon release, he was ordered to stop participating in sport and to assume a male identity. In later life, however, Ratjen (likely erroneously) claimed that the Nazis had ordered him to pose as female in order to bring sporting glory to the nation at their home Olympics. [19] [20] [21] | There were no formal regulations in the 1930s. After years of speculation and reportedly refusing to use changing rooms with other people present, Ratjen was accosted on a train and made to strip before being arrested. [19] | ||
Ewa Kłobukowska † | Poland | Athletics | 1964 | Kłobukowska won a gold and a bronze medal at the Olympics. [22] She is missing an X chromosome, which would not preclude her from competing in women's sports. An inadequate Barr body detection-based sex verification test following her Olympic success saw her stripped of her titles and banned from competition; though later corrected, none of her achievements have been reinstated. [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] | In 1960, the Olympics began mandating physical examinations, [28] which Kłobukowska passed. In 1967, World Athletics (IAAF) introduced chromatin testing for female athletes, [29] looking for "a single X-chromatic mass", i.e. two X chromosomes. [28] | ||
Edinanci Silva Δ | Brazil | Judo | 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 | Silva was born intersex but had surgery in the 1990s to allow her to compete in women's sport, before any Olympics appearance. She went on to compete at four Games. [30] [1] | In 1992, the majority of the sports federations under the IOC stopped performing any type of gender testing. Judo was one of the five federations that continued testing, and the IOC itself replaced the chromosome testing with a DNA-based test. This test was carried out on all female athletes in 1996. In 1999, the IOC stopped universal testing but reserved the right to test suspicious individuals. [31] The same test was used up to and including the 2008 Summer Olympics, but only when suspicions were raised. Athletes who had undergone "sex reassignment surgery" were allowed to compete, two years after surgery and meeting all other requirements. [1] | ||
Érika Coimbra Δ | Brazil | Volleyball | 2000, 2004 | Coimbra was reported to have been born intersex but had surgery. She was subject to sex testing before being allowed to compete. [32] [33] | In 1992, the majority of the sports federations under the IOC stopped performing any type of gender testing. [31] Volleyball was one of the five federations that continued testing, [34] and the IOC itself replaced the chromosome testing with a DNA-based test. In 1999, the IOC stopped universal testing but reserved the right to test suspicious individuals. [31] The same test was used up to and including the 2008 Summer Olympics, but only when suspicions were raised. Athletes who had undergone "sex reassignment surgery" were allowed to compete, two years after surgery and meeting all other requirements. [1] | ||
Francine Niyonsaba Δ | Burundi | Athletics | 2012, 2016, 2020 | Niyonsaba won silver in the 800 m race in 2016; unable to contest this event at the 2020 Games due to restrictions, she qualified and competed in the 10,000 m race. [35] Her intersex condition was revealed upon the ruling in 2019. [36] | In 2012, the IOC introduced testing based on measuring testosterone. [5] Ahead of qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics, the IAAF was forced to suspend testosterone testing until at least 2017 due to losing a case brought by Dutee Chand. The IOC updated its policy around the same time and, in 2016, said they would also suspend testosterone testing while the IAAF was trying to support the tests. [37] In 2019, World Athletics (IAAF) banned female athletes from competing in middle-distance running events and some others [lower-alpha 7] if they:
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Caster Semenya Δ | South Africa | Athletics | 2012, 2016 | Semenya is an intersex woman with XY chromosomes. She has been subject to sex verification testing since the start of her professional career in 2009, at different times being allowed and disallowed to compete in events. A successful intersex sportswoman, she has been the focal point of debates and regulation regarding both intersex and trans athletes in the 21st century. She has refused to take hormone medication to reduce her natural testosterone, as instructed in 2019. [39] [12] She continues to mount legal battles against discriminatory athletic bodies. [40] | |||
Dutee Chand Δ | India | Athletics | 2016, 2020 | Chand experiences hyperandrogenism. [41] [42] In 2014, her elevated testosterone caused the Indian Athletics Federation to remove her from its programme and ban her from events. She appealed to higher athletic bodies, which overturned the ban. [43] [44] [45] As a sprinter, she was unaffected by the 2019 restrictions on intersex characteristics in middle distance events; she offered the services of her legal team to Caster Semenya. [46] | |||
Margaret Wambui † | Kenya | Athletics | 2016 | Wambui has elevated testosterone levels, as revealed upon the intersex restriction ruling in 2019; refusing to take medication to reduce this, she was barred from competing in the 2020 Games. She has proposed athletic bodies introduce an open category to be inclusive of intersex athletes if they insist on the separation. [35] [36] [47] | Ahead of qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics, the IAAF was forced to suspend testosterone testing until at least 2017 due to losing a case brought by Dutee Chand. The IOC updated its policy around the same time and, in 2016, said they would also suspend testosterone testing while the IAAF was trying to support the tests. [37] In 2019, World Athletics (IAAF) banned female athletes from competing in middle-distance running events and some others [lower-alpha 7] if they:
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Barbra Banda † | Zambia | Football | 2020 | After her Olympics appearance, Banda was banned from an African competition due to natural testosterone levels above those accepted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF); she was soon after allowed back to compete in other African competitions, as well as tournaments sanctioned by FIFA. [48] Banda reportedly takes medication to reduce her levels of testosterone; there was criticism that the CAF's "gender eligibility test" was more restrictive than necessary, with FIFA also criticised for the inconsistency of requirements between tournaments. [49] | In 2011, FIFA issued updated gender verification regulations, which state that "each participating member association shall, prior to the nomination of its national team, ensure the correct gender of all the players to be considered for such nomination by actively investigating any perceived deviation in secondary sex characteristics". [50] : 7 Investigation is to be pursued if any or all of the player, the association, the appointed medical officer, and/or the Chief Medical Officer, both requests and has "a direct legal interest" in the result of a gender test. [50] : 10 The testing process is not outlined, but says "sex hormone levels" must be provided (without elaboration) and, if unsatisfactory, that "the player shall undergo a physical examination performed by an independent expert." [50] : 12 | ||
Imane Khelif † | Algeria | Boxing | 2020 | After their Olympics debuts in 2020, Khelif and Lin Yu-ting were disqualified from a 2023 International Boxing Association tournament due to failing the eligibility requirements. Lin was stripped of her bronze in that tournament and Khelif removed from the gold medal match. [51] | The International Boxing Association rules were not explained, but banned Khelif reportedly based on "characteristics" that should prevent them from fighting other women. [51] | ||
Lin Yu-ting † | Chinese Taipei | Boxing | 2020 | After their Olympics debuts in 2020, Lin and Imane Khelif were disqualified from a 2023 International Boxing Association tournament due to failing the eligibility requirements. Lin was stripped of her bronze in that tournament and Khelif removed from the gold medal match. [51] | |||
Beatrice Masilingi Δ | Namibia | Athletics | 2020 | Condition announced by World Athletics ahead of appearing at the 2020 Games. [52] The Namibia National Olympic Committee criticised World Athletics for breaking a confidentiality agreement in naming Masilingi and fellow teenage sprinter Christine Mboma, who could (and would) both compete over a different distance. [53] | In 2019, World Athletics (IAAF) banned female athletes from competing in middle-distance running events and some others [lower-alpha 7] if they:
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Christine Mboma Δ | Namibia | Athletics | 2020 | Condition announced by World Athletics ahead of appearing at the 2020 Games. [52] The Namibia National Olympic Committee criticised World Athletics for breaking a confidentiality agreement in naming Mboma and fellow teenage sprinter Beatrice Masilingi, who could (and would) both compete over a different distance. [53] | |||
Aminatou Seyni Δ | Niger | Athletics | 2020 | Seyni primarily contests sprint distances, but also ran 800 m sporadically and 400 m regularly until 2019, when she was told she had tested positive for intersex characteristics and would be unable to race middle distance. She ran in the 200 m event, a distance over which she holds the Nigerien national record, at the 2020 Games. [35] [54] | |||
Pedro Spajari Δ | Brazil | Swimming | 2020 | Having broken the FINA World Junior Championship record for 100 m freestyle in 2015, [55] Spajari was diagnosed with Klinefelter syndrome, an XXY chromosomal condition in natural men, in 2016. He was aiming to qualify for that year's Games when decreased testosterone levels, which negatively affected his performances, was noticed. He was approved to take hormone supplements, and competed in 2020. [56] [57] | Sex verification is not conducted on athletes in the men's categories. [58] If a male athlete's performance is considered suspicious, doping controls are used. [59] |
Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross-country running, and racewalking.
Sex verification in sports occurs because eligibility of athletes to compete is restricted whenever sporting events are limited to a single sex, which is generally the case, as well as when events are limited to mixed-sex teams of defined composition. Practice has varied tremendously over time, across borders and by competitive level. Issues have arisen multiple times in the Olympic games and other high-profile sporting competitions, for example allegations that certain male athletes attempted to compete as women or that certain female athletes had intersex conditions perceived to give unfair advantage. The topic of sex verification is related to the more recent question of how to treat transgender people in sports. Sex verification is not typically conducted on athletes competing in the male category because there is generally no perceived competitive advantage for a female or intersex athlete to compete in male categories.
Foekje Dillema was a Dutch track and field athlete. She competed in sprinting where she was a rival of Fanny Blankers-Koen. When she refused a sex verification test, she was banned from competition by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1950. After her death, it was determined that she was an intersex person.
Ewa Janina Kłobukowska is a Polish former sprinter. She competed at the 1964 Olympics in the 4×100 m relay and 100 m sprint and won a gold and a bronze medal, respectively. She also won two gold and one silver medal at the 1966 European Athletics Championships. Kłobukowska set three world records, one in the 100 m and two in the 4×100 m relay. Kłobukowska was at one point considered to be the fastest woman in the world. The American Press made a statement, saying that nobody would beat Kłobukowska for the next 7–8 years following a race in Prague. Despite these successes and laurels, her records were annulled by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) after a sex identification test in 1967 wrongly labeled her as not female. The test procedures were later found to be inadequate.
Santhi Soundarajan is a track and field athlete from Tamil Nadu, India. She is the winner of 12 international medals for India and around 50 medals for her home state of Tamil Nadu. Shanthi Soundarajan is the first Tamil woman to win a medal at the Asian Games. She competes in middle distance track events. She was stripped of a silver medal won at the 2006 Asian Games after failing a sex verification test which disputed her eligibility to participate in the women's competition.
Mokgadi Caster Semenya OIB is a South African middle-distance runner and winner of two Olympic gold medals and three World Championships in the women's 800 metres. She first won gold at the World Championships in 2009 and went on to win at the 2016 Olympics and the 2017 World Championships, where she also won a bronze medal in the 1500 metres. After the doping disqualification of Mariya Savinova, she was also awarded gold medals for the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.
Francine Niyonsaba is a Burundian runner who specialized in the 800 metres and shifted to longer distances in 2019. She was the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist in the women's 800 metres. Her silver medal was the first Olympic medal for Burundi since 1996. Niyonsaba won a silver in the event at the 2017 World Championships.
Dutee Chand is an Indian professional sprinter and current national champion in the women's 100 metres event. Chand is the first Indian to win a gold medal in 100 m race in a global competition in 2016 in the Rio Games. She is the third Indian woman to ever qualify for the Women's 100 metres event at the Summer Olympic Games. In 2018, Chand clinched silver in women's 100m at the Jakarta Asian Games. It was India's first medal in this event since 1998. Moreover, In 2019, she became the first Indian sprinter to win gold at the Universiade, clocking 11.32 seconds in the 100 m race.
Katrina Alicia Karkazis is an American anthropologist and bioethicist. She is a professor of Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies at Amherst College. She was previously the Carol Zicklin Endowed Chair in the Honors Academy at Brooklyn College, City University of New York and a senior research fellow with the Global Health Justice Partnership at Yale University. She has written widely on testosterone, intersex issues, sex verification in sports, treatment practices, policy and lived experiences, and the interface between medicine and society. In 2016, she was jointly awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship with Rebecca Jordan-Young.
Athletes and artists who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, non-binary, queer, and/or intersex, and/or who have openly been in a same-sex relationship (LGBTQI+) have competed in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, either openly, or having come out some time afterward.
The women's 800 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 17–20 August at the Olympic Stadium.
Maria José Martínez-Patiño is a Spanish former hurdler, whose dismissal from the Spanish Olympic team in 1986 for failing the gender test is a notable moment in the history of sex verification in sports.
The participation of transgender people in competitive sports, a traditionally sex-segregated institution, is a controversial issue, particularly the inclusion of transgender women and girls in women's sports.
The following is a timeline of intersex history.
Intersex people in France face significant gaps in protection from non-consensual medical interventions and protection from discrimination. The birth of Abel Barbin, a nineteenth-century intersex woman, is marked in Intersex Day of Remembrance. Barbin may have been the first intersex person to write a memoir, later published by Michel Foucault.
The testosterone regulations in women's athletics are a series of policies first published in 2011 by the IAAF and last updated following a court victory against Caster Semenya in May 2019. The first version of the rules applied to all women with high testosterone, but the current version of the rules only apply to athletes with certain XY disorders of sexual development, and set a 5 nmol/L testosterone limit, which applies only to distances between 400 m and 1 mile (inclusive), other events being unrestricted.
Beatrice Masilingi is a Namibian sprinter. At the age of 18, she placed sixth in the 200 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, having made the final along with fellow Namibian sprinter and eventual silver medallist Christine Mboma. Masilingi won silver medals in both the 100 metres and 200 m at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships.
Christine Mboma is a Namibian sprinter who competes in the 100 metres and 200 m. At the age of 18, she won a silver medal in the 200 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first ever Namibian woman to win a women's Olympic medal and breaking the world under-20 and African senior record. Mboma also won the event at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships and Diamond League final, improving her record mark to 21.78 seconds.
On 9 October 2001, Pratima Gaonkar, a young Indian intersex athlete and swimmer, was found dead in a well in Goa. The cause was identified as death by suicide; this was in turn was caused by Gaonkar's reaction to the disclosure and public commentary surrounding a failed sex verification test. Gaonkar was reportedly the subject of blackmail attempts, including an accusation by her mother that her coach was accusing her.