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Caster Semenya sex row
Thu, 2009-08-27 09:11
#1
Caster Semenya sex row
Sat, 2009-08-22 14:14
#2
This must be such a stressful situation for Caster and her family.
What a shame.
Caster Semenya sex row: 'She's my little girl,' says father
South Africa rallies to defence of its new world champion who has been told by athletics officials to prove she is female
The father of a women's world champion athlete today angrily denied accusations that the teenager was secretly born a man, insisting: "She is my little girl."
Caster Semenya, 18, is undergoing a gender test to prove she is female after beating her rivals by a huge margin to win the gold medal in the world championship 800 metres in Berlin.
Family, friends and teachers at her home in South Africa recalled how Semenya played football with boys, wore trousers instead of skirts and endured teasing by her peers. But all asserted that she is definitely a woman.
Jacob Semenya, her father, told the Sowetan newspaper: "She is my little girl. I raised her and I have never doubted her gender. She is a woman and I can repeat that a million times."
He attacked his daughter's critics, saying: "For the first time South Africans have someone to be proud of and detractors are already shouting wolf. It is unfair. I wish they would leave my daughter alone."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/aug/20/caster-semenya-sex-row-athle...
Sat, 2009-08-22 15:32
#3
remind
Canada's Elaine Tanner had to undergo the same thing way back when.
Sun, 2009-08-23 11:35
#4
This federation needs to be overhauled
Gender row over Caster Semenya makes athlete into a South African cause celebre
The controversy over Caster Semenya, the South African champion athlete whose gender has been questioned has escalated into an international row involving the United Nations.
So hurt was 18-year-old Semenya that she had to be persuaded by the president of her country's athletics federation, Leonard Chuene, to step onto the podium to accept her gold medal on Thursday. "The country loves you," he told her.Last night Mr Chuene announced he had resigned from the sport's governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), in protest at its demand that she undergo a series of tests to determine her gender.
He said: "We are talking about a child here, whose name has been dragged through the dirt by an organisation which should know better. If gender tests have to take place, they should have been done quietly.
"It is a taboo subject. How can a girl live with this stigma? By going public on the tests, the IAAF has let down this young child, and I will fight tooth and nail to protect her."
Semenya, who is being cared for by specialist counsellors at the team's hotel in Berlin, is now having to endure an agonising wait for the results of the tests. If she is found to have what is known as an intersex condition - giving her a predominance of male characteristics and thereby an advantage over other female competitors - she will be stripped of her medal.
But the affair, which has already cast a cloud over the spectacular showcase of athletic talent gathered in Berlin for the 12th IAAF World Championships, has now moved beyond the realm of sporting controversy to a fierce argument about racial politics, gender stereotyping and Western notions of female beauty.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafri...
Sun, 2009-08-23 11:43
#5
Canada's Elaine Tanner had to undergo the same thing way back when.
Thanks remind,
I just read a bit about her ordeal
Sun, 2009-08-23 12:07
#6
A stark reminder of how dirtily men will fight to keep exceptional athletic performance a male thing.
Can you imagine the reverse? Exceptionally sensitive male artists having to take tests to prove they are not women...?
Sun, 2009-08-23 12:25
#7
remind
You're welcome, it seems to me that women, when they are outside the "barbie" norm it is even worse for them in the sports world.
68 medalist recalls 1st ever Olympic 'sex testing'
CTV has an article about this today.
As a young girl watching what happened to Elaine Tanner, I was blown away by the vicious attacks on her and it certainly lessened any thoughts I had about going into athletics on a serious basis.
Sun, 2009-08-23 23:11
#8
Thanks again remind,
That's a powerful article.
I just don't understand what could possibly be in the heads of those officials who did NOT have the decency to keep this private, let alone subjecting Caster Semenya to this test in the first place.
Somehow we need a planetwide (international) campaign to shame them into never ever doing this again.
Sun, 2009-08-23 23:16
#9
Here is at least a bit of good news for Caster.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/olympics_blog/2009/08/teammate-gives-sem...
Mon, 2009-08-24 07:28
#10
World Athletics: Caster Semenya tests 'show high testosterone levels'
Preliminary medical tests on Caster Semenya, the 18-year-old South African at the centre of a gender row, have recorded elevated levels of the male hormone testosterone, Telegraph Sport can reveal.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/6078171/World-Ath...
Mon, 2009-08-24 23:20
#11
M. Spector
Whatever track and field tells us Caster Semenya's gender is - and as of this writing there is zero evidence she is intersex - it's time we all break free from the notion that you are either "one or the other." It's antiquated, stigmatizing and says far more about those doing the testing than about the athletes tested. The only thing suspicious is the gender and sex bias in professional sports. We should continue to debate the pros and cons of gender segregation in sport. But right here, right now, we must end sex testing and acknowledge the fluidity of gender and sex in sports and beyond.
[url=http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/08/the-idiocy-of-sex-testing/]Dave Zirin[/url]
Tue, 2009-08-25 21:30
#12
I wrote about the Semenya controversy from an LGBT perspective here:
(Fair warning: this is a gay-news site with a few harmless but not-too-safe-for-work ads featuring shirtless guys)
Any feedback or comments on the article (here or at the article itself) are appreciated.
Tue, 2009-08-25 22:10
#13
RevolutionPlease
Excellent work 2fruition, my only criticism is you didn't put on the race lense as I believe it critical to the analysis. Wonderful words.
Wed, 2009-08-26 07:00
#14
Thanks, revolutionplease. In truth, I thought I would let others speak to the race issue because I hadn't developed a strong POV or heard one from others that I fully bought into. I've been following the debate among Black South Africans, and there are a lot of divided opinions as to whether or not the actions against Semenya have racist implications. The other occasions these actions have been taken all involved white woman, and Semenya's nearest competitor in this race was also Black. On the one hand, some spokespeople from SA are saying that they accept their hero as female and that she is victim to European standards of beauty. However, I would never want to confirm the impression that SA is more accepting of gender non-conformity than European; last year, a national women's soccer star in SA was raped and murdered for being a lesbian. According to Human Rights Watch, "The apparent motivation for her killing was that she was a lesbian who fought back 'like a man." A report by the group ActionAID says that "corrective rape" of masculine lesbians is common there.
Wed, 2009-08-26 09:04
#15
Preliminary medical tests on Caster Semenya, the 18-year-old South African at the centre of a gender row, have recorded elevated levels of the male hormone testosterone, Telegraph Sport can reveal.
What's very possible (dare I say likely?) is that she IS a woman but has been using steroids which contain testosterone which is responsible for the test results as well as her appearance.
Wed, 2009-08-26 09:08
#16
Excellent work 2fruition, my only criticism is you didn't put on the race lense as I believe it critical to the analysis. Wonderful words.
I disagree. Similar questions were frequently raised about East German athletes back in teh day (mainly in swimming) and virtually all of them were white. Track and field, sprinting in particular, is comprised mostly of blacks (both men and women) and these questions are only being raised about this one athlete in particular. I mean Venus and Serena Williams are both black women athletes who have dominated in tennis and have incredible strenght and nobody has questioned their gender because it's never been in doubt.
Wed, 2009-08-26 10:24
#17
What's very possible (dare I say likely?) is that she IS a woman but has been using steroids which contain testosterone which is responsible for the test results as well as her appearance.
It's also my understanding that Semenya has had a non-traditionally-feminine appearance her entire life.
Wed, 2009-08-26 10:57
#18
It's also my understanding that Semenya has had a non-traditionally-feminine appearance her entire life.
If that's the case, then the idea of her being "not a woman" may have more validity. I haven't seen pictures of her over the course of her life to see how her appearance may have changed. But when physical changes happen relatively quickly - particularly changes that involve drastic changes in body size and shape - its not unreasonable to suspect things like steroids or human growth hormones coming into play.
I mean, the way elite athletics has been going recently with so much money involved and so much pressure to gain any rot of advantage, people do all sorts of crazy things that will have long-term consequences, unfortunately.
Wed, 2009-08-26 11:27
#19
The concern over East German women athletes turned out to be well-founded; they were all hopped-up on anabolic steroids.
I really don't think racism has anything to do with it. And if I were a woman athlete who competed against her, I'd have some concerns:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-bqET22vEU
I'm no endocrinologist, but it could be she has a benign tumour, or some other condition that has raised her androgen levels to the extent that her voice has changed.
Wed, 2009-08-26 11:37
#20
If her voice is deep, particularly if it only recently got that way, testosterone-high steroids would certainly explain it.
There's so much absurd cheating in sports these days that virtually everyone is suspected. I remember in the last summer Olympics there was all this talk about the Chinese gymnasts being way younger than they were "officially" (there's a minimum age for gymnastics due to how lower body mass makes it easier to do certain things).
On the other hand, some people just have certain physical traits that give them an advantage, and not even things like height or weight. Lance Armstrong was born with a ridiculous lung capacity that makes him ideally suited for endurance events like the Tour de france for example.
Wed, 2009-08-26 11:55
#21
Snert
But when physical changes happen relatively quickly - particularly changes that involve drastic changes in body size and shape - its not unreasonable to suspect things like steroids or human growth hormones coming into play.
Or when previously obscure athletes suddenly appear and trounce previous record holders and other top-seeded athletes in the sport.
I'm not saying that cannot happen, but I'm having trouble understanding the tempest in a teacup over wanting to make sure.
Wed, 2009-08-26 12:17
#22
Yeah, good point, Snert. I mean, when a guy like Usain Bolt goes out and breaks a world record, it doesn't come as a surprise. He's been an amazing runner for a long time and was always expected to do the things he's doing. But, in baseball for example, when you have some mediocre player who hits 20 home runs one years and 50 the next, it's natural to be a little suspicious.
Wed, 2009-08-26 13:04
#23
Catchfire
There's so much absurd cheating in sports these days that virtually everyone is suspected. I remember in the last summer Olympics there was all this talk about the Chinese gymnasts being way younger than they were "officially" (there's a minimum age for gymnastics due to how lower body mass makes it easier to do certain things).On the other hand, some people just have certain physical traits that give them an advantage, and not even things like height or weight. Lance Armstrong was born with a ridiculous lung capacity that makes him ideally suited for endurance events like the Tour de france for example.
I think it's curious, SSC, that for someone who is so eager to dismiss the race element to Semenya's case, you offer these two examples of cheating and not cheating: one, an unfounded accusation against Chinese gymnasts that conforms to traditional orientalist tropes, and two, white Anglo Lance, a proven cheater who is also permitted to take illegal substances forbidden to his fellow riders.
As for the 'tempest in a teapot', it seems fairly clear that Semenya self-identifies as a woman. It seems the IOC has decided whether that is an 'acceptable' lithmus test for gender, and if anyone has any different ideas about it, they will publicly humilate them as severely as possible, even before their 'tests' (looking at her crotch?) have offered a shred of evidence supporting these mortifying and so-far baseless accusations.
What about Michelle Dumaresq? Is this world-champion a cheat too?
Wed, 2009-08-26 13:06
#24
Threa drift? Who was the only female athlete that did not have to undergo sex testing for the Montreal Olympics?/ end thread drift
Wed, 2009-08-26 13:11
#25
Catchfire
Hee. It would have to be Princess Anne of England, in show jumping.
Wed, 2009-08-26 13:13
#26
Correct, Catchfire. Now why can't my Reds be as sharp. 
Wed, 2009-08-26 13:42
#27
2fruition: I read your article, and I also agree with abolishing sex segregation in sports.
As the rules stand, however, it's women competing against women, and men competing against men. And if I were a woman beat in a race by a tall, moustashioed, heavily-muscled competitor whose voice is deeper than my brother's, I'd have some questions.
...an unfounded accusation against Chinese gymnasts that conforms to traditional orientalist tropes...
A brief word about this: I used to be a gymnast, and I followed this story. Basically, the Chinese authorities altered the birth certificates of their top competitors to make sure they were "older" than 16. Gymnastics is a sport for very young people; as you get older, your tendons, muscles, all stiffen up. People involved in elite-level gymnastics recognized these Chinese girls as under 16 because of their sophisticated knowledge of sports physiology and the influence of a girl's age on flexibility and general performance in the sport. The Chinese cheated, everybody involved in the sport knew they cheated, and much like all the cheating that used to go on in figure-skating scoring, it got overlooked for the sake of politics.
Wed, 2009-08-26 14:07
#28
Rexdale_Punjabi
A stark reminder of how dirtily men will fight to keep exceptional athletic performance a male thing.
Can you imagine the reverse? Exceptionally sensitive male artists having to take tests to prove they are not women...?
um martin ur wrong here still the thing is that there's no real difference physically between men and women when it would come to art that would stop either one from being better at it. And sensitive doesnt always mean a man acting like a stereotypical drama queen or some shit. ill bet you money if I ask a random woman right now what she thinks a sensitive guy means she'll say something like in touch with his feelings not like feminien but just that he doesnt act like a mindless brute or w.e and he for example knows when shes hurt and to comfort her or when both of them want it for example and that he knows what he wants and aint afriad to show it/go for it. A woman's definition of a real man (lol yea I just did ask someone 
) Itz being connected cuzz.
But men have higher levels of testosterone than women, and other things like a narrower pelvis/hips which makes them better at running saying that no women can be good at sports or they like men for being good at sports is sexist saying that men are generally more athletically built than women aint sexist its a fact. Or facial hair, voice, body shape, etc.
Wed, 2009-08-26 16:46
#29
I think it's curious, SSC, that for someone who is so eager to dismiss the race element to Semenya's case, you offer these two examples of cheating and not cheating: one, an unfounded accusation against Chinese gymnasts that conforms to traditional orientalist tropes, and two, white Anglo Lance, a proven cheater who is also permitted to take illegal substances forbidden to his fellow riders.
As for the 'tempest in a teapot', it seems fairly clear that Semenya self-identifies as a woman. It seems the IOC has decided whether that is an 'acceptable' lithmus test for gender, and if anyone has any different ideas about it, they will publicly humilate them as severely as possible, even before their 'tests' (looking at her crotch?) have offered a shred of evidence supporting these mortifying and so-far baseless accusations.
I talked about race in a previous comment. I pointed out that sprinting is majority black at that level and only ONE woman is being subjected to this test so it seems a little strange to attribute what she's going through to race. I also pointed out that nobody ever questioned the gender of Venus and Serena Williams, who are black, despite the fact that they are amazingly powerful athletes. It's not cause of their race, it's because tehy don't appear remotely masculine. Nor did Jackie Joyner Kersey or Marion Jones or a lot of other great black track and field stars (though Jones was certainly heavily drugged up).
I'm not sure what you're referring to with regards to Lance Armstrong. I'm not sure he ever failed a drug test (though many people, myself, have suspicions that he used them). Certainly the guy who won AFTER Armstrong's last victory was caught to be on steroids and was stripped of his win. And he's a white American just like Armstrong. So I really don't know why you feel the need to try to turn this into a racial issue.
And what's relevant in this context is not whether someone "identifies" as a given gender. If you want to stick to that logic, then Usain Bolt can declare that he "identifies" as a woman and go and and race against women and shatter every record ever recorded.
Wed, 2009-08-26 16:50
#30
. Basically, the Chinese authorities altered the birth certificates of their top competitors to make sure they were "older" than 16.
I remember this happening in baseball too. There was a "little league" championship with this pitcher who absolutely dominated everyone on the field who was supposedly 14 or something and turned out to be 20. The lengths people will go to in order to win boggle the mind sometimes...
Wed, 2009-08-26 16:57
#31
Hey, look no further than on Rabble...
Wed, 2009-08-26 17:51
#32
Catchfire
And what's relevant in this context is not whether someone "identifies" as a given gender. If you want to stick to that logic, then Usain Bolt can declare that he "identifies" as a woman and go and and race against women and shatter every record ever recorded.
The person who made this statement is completely ignorant of transgender realities.
As for Lance Armstrong, the story in the United States is that France has a vendetta against the man that managed to beat a load of cheaters seven times. The rest of the world understands the evidence against him (and the fact that as a recovering cancer patient, he is allowed to use many substances banned for other athletes) remains emphatically persuasive that he did not beat a peloton of drug users with only his own two legs.
Barry Bonds, however, well, everyone knows that the (black) man is a cheat.
Wed, 2009-08-26 18:28
#33
And what's relevant in this context is not whether someone "identifies" as a given gender. If you want to stick to that logic, then Usain Bolt can declare that he "identifies" as a woman and go and and race against women and shatter every record ever recorded.The person who made this statement is completely ignorant of transgender realities.
I'm curious, what about the other competitors, shouldn't they have an expectation of fair competition? If this person is more male than female is it fair to the female competitors to have to compete against her? If we can't make distinction in athletic competitions along gender lines we might as well remove all distintion and have all genders compete in the same races, now I don't know the record books, but i would imagine that women would be generally uncompetitive and rarely if ever win. Or we could ban athletic competition..the reality is, imo, without explicit distinction between genders in athletic competition women would be the big losers.
Wed, 2009-08-26 18:56
#34
Catchfire
Basically I wish Tehanu would visit and tell us like it is.
It's hard to unpack this situation because of the innate assumptions attending it. First, and so obvious as to be practically invisible, we assume that 'fair competition' means athletes, divided by gender, competing in acts of speed, strength and agility. Why does dividing competitors solely by gender mean it is 'fair'? What about weight, like in boxing and wrestling? Or age? Height? Hair colour? We've already seen another division with the advent of the paralympics. What makes us stop at gender rather than divisions all the way down to who can process lactic acids at such-and-such a rate? We've assumed, over time, that gender is not an arbitrary division, and perhaps, historically and socially, this tends to be true, but modern life is seeing this division break down.
Secondly, the slippery-slope implication that if we allow one transgender to compete alongside cisgendered people, the floodgates will break and, in the words of SSC, Usain Bolt will come over to the female side just to show them who's boss. I wonder why his massive margin of victory elicted no claims of dishonesty. Should he not be subjected to test to prove he is even human? Of course, there is no evidence of men pretending to be women in order to succeed in sport (save some dodgy cold-war accusations about burly Ukrainians and the like, with their own Reaganite brand of racism), nor is it proven that transgendered athletes have any kind of advantage over cisgendered ones. It should be pointed out that Semenya did not break the world record (although it was the fastest time of the year). Nor indeed was Semenya a surprise, like Snert claims: she had already won several races and established herself as a veritable up-and-comer. But the corresponding implication that transgendered athletes have gone through the pain and humiliation that accompanies such a life in order to glean fame and fortune is so out-of-touch and illogical as to be absurd.
Perhaps it's time that the 'competition' to which we've grown accustomed become radically redesigned. Athletics in general are frought with machismo and patriarchal posturing (we need look little farther than Usain Bolt's wonderful celebration after destroying the field for evidence of that) and the gender division only serves to reinforce this culture. Women athletes are still very much the underclass of sport, 'allowed' to compete in a sly wink of appeasement towards human rights and other such nonsense. They might as well be competing in a separate competition altogether, much like the paralympians. If you don't beleive me, ask the Female Ski Jumpers who will be watching the 2010 Olympics from the sidelines.
I propose that a system that still thinks its okay to refuse women entry to the clubhouse (are you listening, St. Andrew's?) is an architecture of oppression and tyranny. If this structure needs what it would presume to call 'fair competition' to uphold such oppression, it needs tearing down.
Wed, 2009-08-26 19:09
#35
remind
Please note I reject the term cisgendered.
Wed, 2009-08-26 20:21
#36
Please note I reject the term cisgendered.
Ditto.
Wed, 2009-08-26 21:06
#37
Catchfire
Um, ok, 'noted'. But what does that have to do with my post? Just say to yourself 'non-transgendered' whenever you read that word.
Wed, 2009-08-26 21:48
#38
remind
Because it is not hard to unpack at all, in fact it is pretty damn easy.
Wed, 2009-08-26 21:53
#39
Okay, I have to ask. Why are people saying they reject the term cisgendered? This is a new one for me.
Wed, 2009-08-26 22:00
#40
Catchfire
I'm sorry, remind. I'm a bit lost. Could you explain what you mean?
And 2fruition, great article!
Wed, 2009-08-26 22:04
#41
And 2fruition, great article!
Thank you, catchfire! It is interesting to watch this discussion on babble. There seems to be a bit of gender essentialism present on this board...
Wed, 2009-08-26 22:26
#42
remind
No catchfire, it is not worth it. In particular not at this moment for me anyway.
[thread drift]pretty emotional, having a hard time dealing with the images of a little 2 year old girl's hand print on the bumper of truck, left there when she was trying to protect herself, as it ran over her and killed her today, in downtown Vancouver.
only state this because I was trying to figure out why I was feeling so emotional, and realized it was not this topic at all that was a primary trigger fuck sometimes i wish the news would leave that kinda shit out[/thread drift].
Wed, 2009-08-26 22:54
#43
there seems to be a bit of gender essentialism present on this board...
Uh oh, the dreaded "E-word"! There seems to be a bit of good old indiscriminate baiting too...
Personally, I resist the word "cisgendered" because I would rather not be "named" (and therefore somewhat objectified and controlled) in order to suit someone else's agenda.
Is this unexamined privilege? No, I am clear about this claim. I understand that some transgender(ed) folks - however defined - feel it is unfair that they are named as such and non-transgendered folks aren't, but it is debatable whether they were/are named by society and not by their own group or agency, in a show of perfectly legitimate identity politics.
IMHO, we are all gendered by a number of factors - some biological, some cultural, and by some degree of personal agency. Many people resist gender expectations and external assignation of gender identities, a few by transitioning. Many others don't. But blanket categorizations and value judgments arent very useful.
Thu, 2009-08-27 00:18
#44
Catchfire
Baiting? martin, sometimes I wonder if you are a real activist or a comedian-provacateur. But congratulations for bravely reisisting the transgendered agenda. They have patent leather covers in pink, blue or yellow. Tell me, do you 'resist' the label 'male' as vigourously as you 'resist' the label of 'cisgendered'? I note, however, that you have no problem putting the shoe on the other foot.
Thu, 2009-08-27 00:25
#45
RevolutionPlease
I don't see the reason for objection.
Thu, 2009-08-27 00:34
#46
Snert
Secondly, the slippery-slope implication that if we allow one transgender to compete alongside cisgendered people, the floodgates will break and, in the words of SSC, Usain Bolt will come over to the female side just to show them who's boss.
They'd be far too busy trying to patronize [url=http://www.rabble.ca/babble/feminism/new-womens-pharmacy-vancouverexclud...'s Pharmacy[/url] just for the lulz.
Thu, 2009-08-27 00:35
#47
Tell me, do you 'resist' the label 'male' as vigourously as you 'resist' the label of 'cisgendered'?
Yes, actually, I work pretty hard at jiggling loose a lot of stuff that is taken for granted about maleness (including claims that it isn't a problem since a guy can simply define himself as he wishes and resist any pejorative connotation to that label). Pisses off a lot of folks, for that matter.
Does the snarkiness indicate that you are denying there is an agenda to establishing the word "cisgender", i.e. semantically avoiding treating the transgendered as exceptions? It seems clear but if you see it otherwise, I am listening.
Thu, 2009-08-27 09:11
#48
I'm moving this to the GLBTQ forum, where it is hopefully a safer space for trans issues, and where cisgendered people won't dominate the discussion with their "rejections" of an oppressed group's attempt to have cisgendered people examine their privilege.
Thu, 2009-08-27 09:16
#49
Okay, I have to ask. Why are people saying they reject the term cisgendered? This is a new one for me.
When I was in school, the terms, "cis" and "trans" were used in organic chemistry to describe different configurations of organic molecules. So somebody picks up a chemistry textbook, or whatever, and writes a book saying, yes; there are "trans" gendered people, so that means there are "cis" gendered people. And that's the way it is.
So some of us might say, aren't you just replacing one form of narrow-minded labelling with another? And all of a sudden, we're "gender essentialists" for not falling in lockstep behind this particular semantic trend.
A simple juxtaposition:
Male - Female
Cis - Trans
It's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.
Isn't the goal here to let go of rigid gender identities and just respect each other's basic humanity? Relabelling isn't progress.
Thu, 2009-08-27 09:17
#50
Maysie
Racialicious on Caster Semenya: Is the Caster Semenya Sex Controversy Racist?
Thu, 2009-08-27 09:57
#51
Basically I wish Tehanu would visit and tell us like it is.
It's hard to unpack this situation because of the innate assumptions attending it. First, and so obvious as to be practically invisible, we assume that 'fair competition' means athletes, divided by gender, competing in acts of speed, strength and agility. Why does dividing competitors solely by gender mean it is 'fair'? What about weight, like in boxing and wrestling? Or age? Height? Hair colour? We've already seen another division with the advent of the paralympics. What makes us stop at gender rather than divisions all the way down to who can process lactic acids at such-and-such a rate? We've assumed, over time, that gender is not an arbitrary division, and perhaps, historically and socially, this tends to be true, but modern life is seeing this division break down.
At the end of the day most men will still be bigger, faster, stronger than most women, waiting for modern life to change these realities is far fetched at best. Gender, when it comes to the average physical attributes of men and women is not an abitrary thing, some women can compete with men at some levels, but not at world championship levels of competition, the record books prove this. It would be unfair for a anatomically or chemically male person to compete against women, taking steroids in effect makes people more 'male' also making competition unfair for those who aren't taking those drugs.
There are other handicaps put in place, such as weight classes in wrestling, but that only allows smaller or larger people to compete with those of similar sizes, you still would not match a 150lb female wrestler against a 150lb male, there are basic differences between the sexes that are mostly impossible to overcome, though no doubt there are exceptions. Still if you wanted to remove gender barriers completely and maintain a level playing field so to speak how would you handcap male competitors in order to allow women a fair chance at winning. How would you handicap a match between a male and a male looking female competitor with elevated testoserone levels, or a woman on hormone therapy, or a genetic male post sex change and hormone therapy against a woman? It's too complicated to fathom. Aside from banning athletic competitions (which I hope most people would be against) i don't think there is any other way to allow fair play for both sexes, but especially women.