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Genetics

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Submitted By JCmarie83
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The Y chromosome: Male or Female?
Today’s media reports have been inundated with information and life experiences of the transgender individual. The Oxford dictionary describes transgender as denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender. Currently, you’re unable to escape the endless reports of Caitlyn Jenner; a biological male whom has recently decided to live outwardly as a female. When one lives as a different gender than their genetics encode, whether by choice or by a distinct medical anomaly, where is the line drawn? In the world of sports could a male presented as a female, compete as a female? Would the athletic abilities be comparable or even fair?
Bruce Jenner has lived as a male the vast majority of his life, in which he won numerous athletic events. Including a gold medal in the Olympics and he was even voted the 1976 AP Male Athlete of the Year. (Wikipedia contributors) His strong athletic abilities and lavish relationships with women allowed the public to categorize him as a real “man’s man”. However, he had been struggling with the nuisances of transgender. Now, what if he would have chosen to live as a female earlier in life? Could he have enjoyed the same athletic splendor as a female?
Competitive sports aren’t taken lightly, anything that may suggest an unfair advantage is wildly debated. Oscar Pistorius, a South African athlete, who has prosthetics in place of his feet and lower legs, has been scrutinized for years regarding the possible advantage his prosthetics may allow. Pistorius was born with fibular hemimelia, the congenital absence of the fibula, in both legs. (Wikipedia contributors) Clearly the absence of his limbs – was not a choice, yet his athletic prowess was still criticized. If you return to the subject of transgender, there is a given choice. And, competing as a man versus a woman is seen as a notable advantage. In the world of sports there are various rules set to those competing as “transgender”. Most notably was the dispute between CrossFit and a female transgender competitor, Chloie, whom was told she could not compete as a woman. CrossFit’s letter of explanation denotes, “We have simply ruled that based upon [Chloie] being born as a male, she will need to compete in the Men's Division. ... The fundamental, ineluctable fact is that a male competitor who has a sex reassignment procedure still has a genetic makeup that confers a physical and physiological advantage over women.”(Tannehill) However, The International Olympic Committee allows transgender females to compete amongst woman if they’re meeting specific criteria. Evidently, transgender has existed within sports long enough that rules have been set into place to allow for fair competition when gender is in question. But, the genetics of gender surpasses the envelope of transgender to a broader spectrum. Genetically Bruce Jenner was born a male; in his DNA he has an X and Y sex chromosome, the Y chromosome signifies male gender, which is normally only present in male cells. Additionally, his natural physical appearance is classified as male, which includes male anatomy. But, there are those whose genetic makeup is much more complex, such as those dealing with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. Drexel Medicine describes Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome as a person who is genetically male, having one X and one Y chromosome, is resistant to male hormones, called androgens. As a result, the person has some or all of the physical traits of a woman, but the genetic makeup of a man. In other words, AIS is a condition in which the development of the genitals and reproductive organs are affected. There are two forms of AIS, Complete and Partial AIS. In CAIS, a person is completely insensitive to androgen; external female genitalia develop and the majority of babies are brought up as “female”. In PAIS, there is some sensitivity to androgen. How the genitals develop is determined upon how sensitive the person is to androgen; they may appear completely male, female, or quite possible as neither specifically. Usually these children are raised based on how they’re visually depicted. (Nordqvist) This ailment allows for greater dispute among gender and distorts any preconceptions that may have been made regarding transgender competitors in sports. An individual with AIS is distinctly different compared to a transgender individual in the athletic arena. Chemically, their body doesn’t contain the testosterone that a female transgender body does; they have physically developed as a female prior to birth. Spanish hurdler Maria Jose Martinez-Patino had CAIS, during testing, The Spanish Athletic Federation revealed that she had a Y chromosome, and the federation declared her ineligible for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul. (Bardin) Regardless of the medical recommendations of a doctor due to physical and hormonal differences a Y chromosome genetically “codes” an individual as a male. In these special circumstances there have been strides made in recent years to even the playing fields of those diagnosed with AIS, to shift the focus from testing DNA to testosterone. Distinguishing male from female has and will continue to be an ongoing battle.
There is a very fine line between winning and losing. And, it had been thought that there was a very broad line between male and female. However, with the introduction of the transgender community and genetic anomalies such as AIS, that line has narrowed. As time passes and more information is presented regarding the male/female position it will continue to influence their place in the world of sports.

Works Cited

Bardin, Jon. "Olympic Games and the Tricky Science of Telling Men from Women." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2012. Web. 01 Aug. 2015.
"Definition of Transgender in English:." Transgender: Definition of Transgender in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US). N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2015.
Haldeman-Englert, Chad. "Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome." Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. A.D.A.M., 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 01 Aug. 2015.
Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS)?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 23 Apr. 2010. Web. 01 Aug. 2015.
Tannehill, Brynn. "Do Transgender Athletes Have an Unfair Advantage?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 07 Mar. 2014. Web. 01 Aug. 2015.
Wikipedia contributors. "Caitlyn Jenner." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 Aug. 2015. Web. 1 Aug. 2015.
Wikipedia contributors. "Oscar Pistorius." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 Jul. 2015. Web. 1 Aug. 2015.

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