Gender Tests

[Churchill]

How would you tell? Check the genitalia? What if someone has both male and female genitalia, what would you look at next?

I'd look at the owner of the circus and say 'fair enough, but don't let it out in public again'.

Happens more often than you'd think, the Doctor usually makes the decision on whether or not the child will be "male" or "female".

[Zippy]

They'll check her chromosomes, hormone levels etc. and give her a physical exam. Poor kid.

[Pondlife]

Poor kid.

Exactly.

Media are turning it into a circus freak show.

Only one person loses out in all this.

[expat]

They'll check her chromosomes, hormone levels etc. and give her a physical exam. Poor kid.

Those too can fall outside the ranges that would normally be unequivocally male or female. And if we are talking about the possibility of eliminating a sportsperson, we are definitely talking about anatomy, not identity; i.e. maybe the doc said she was a girl, and she feels like a woman ... that's not the point.

The problem lies in the fact that we think we know what we mean by male and female, but we do not actually have a universally applicable definition.

And yes, it is unfortunate and there is a human being at the centre of this.

[The Lone Gunman]

Exactly.

Media are turning it into a circus freak show.

Only one person loses out in all this.

The way this has been handled is a disgrace.
She seems remarkably calm for all the fuss.
She probably has yet to realise the implications of it all. It is bound to damage her in some way at some stage.

[realityhack]

Happens more often than you'd think, the Doctor usually makes the decision on whether or not the child will be "male" or "female".

(Seriously) I have heard of this happening - and if this is the case she's probably had to put up with this for most of her life, shame, but I guess they have to do it.

[fckvwls]

A playboy centrefold is the only way to be sure.

[Platypus]

[Mich the Tester]

Those too can fall outside the ranges that would normally be unequivocally male or female. And if we are talking about the possibility of eliminating a sportsperson, we are definitely talking about anatomy, not identity; i.e. maybe the doc said she was a girl, and she feels like a woman ... that's not the point.

The problem lies in the fact that we think we know what we mean by male and female, but we do not actually have a universally applicable definition.

And yes, it is unfortunate and there is a human being at the centre of this.

According to Mrs Tester, who wrote a thesis on transsexuality and transgender issues in psychiatric care, the problem is that 'male' and 'female' are actually two extremes on a sliding scale. Most people are found at one of the extremes, but some are somewhere in between. Some people who appear to be anatomically female may have male chromosomes or a brain that's more like a male brain. Same goes the other way around.

If someone has a high testosterone level, a brain shaped and working like that of a man, considerable muscle bulk, male chromosomes and a vagina, is that a woman or a man?
It is'nt as easy as some people think.

[Zippy]

According to Mrs Tester, who wrote a thesis on transsexuality and transgender issues in psychiatric care, the problem is that 'male' and 'female' are actually two extremes on a sliding scale. Most people are found at one of the extremes, but some are somewhere in between. Some people who appear to be anatomically female may have male chromosomes or a brain that's more like a male brain. Same goes the other way around.

If someone has a high testosterone level, a brain shaped and working like that of a man, considerable muscle bulk, male chromosomes and a vagina, is that a woman or a man?
It is'nt as easy as some people think.

From the athletics standpoint - does she have these attributes and does she gain an advantage from having them?
From a personal standpoint - she is was she thinks she is