'Female masculinity' in female sport: stories from the field

This study is about controversies around the ‘politics of the body’ in female sports. It outlines the ‘question’ of masculinity in female athletes’ physical appearance and internal bodily sys-tems – the latter is determined through scientific inquiry. To unravel discourses surrounding these issues, the paper examines a number of stories of female athletes whose ‘femininity’ has been in question. The social construction and biological standpoint of gender and sex and how opposing views elevate or de-elevate the bodies and people involved, comes out through these stories. Whilst the medicalization of trans women’s bodies is in most cases an individual choice, the choices of intersex women are often much narrower, with decisions about their gender assignment being required or forced on them. Unsurprisingly, intersex women in sport tend to be black and nationals of African countries while transwomen are citizens of western countries. The paper delves into the experiences of Caster Semenya and Annet Negesa who are intersex women athletes and Jillian Bearden and Laurel Hubbard who are trans women athletes. Their experiences will reveal that even though trans and intersex women’s bodies are regulated by the similar rules, the outcomes tend to differ. The stories told of how individual women’s ‘feminine masculinity’ affected them further confirm that privilege and oppression are experienced by different bodies, regardless of the ideal of a shared female gender community in sports.