South African runner Caster Semenya for years has been at the forefront of controversy surrounding testosterone levels and athletics, most recently when the International Association of Athletics Federation ruled that female athletes with naturally high testosterone levels must lower them artificially to qualify for competition.
Semenya battled the rule in court and has since been granted a reprieve by a Swiss Court to compete until later this month, but the future is unclear.
Her story is central to the question of what it means to be an athlete and the role intersex and transgender athletes play in sport.
Today on All Sides, the intersex and transgender question in athletics.
Guests
- Erin Strout, journalist and contributing editor for Runner’s World
- Vikki Krane, professor Bowling Green State University, studies gender, sex, and athletes
- Joanna Harper, transgender athlete, researcher, and medical physist at Providence Portland Medical Center