Podcast Episode 4: The Attack on Nonconformity in Athletics Pt. 1 (The Rant)*Explicit Language*I’m very excited to get into this episode because I’ve always wanted to unpack human variance especially how it shows up in relation to gender identity/expression. Visible differences in the human expression often cause people to be othered, discriminated against, pathologized, brutalized etc. Right now we are seeing the attack on human variance & non conformity in the world of women’s sports which is racist, sexist, transphobic and an overall gross violation of human rights. In particular this episode will highlight the stories of Caster Semenya & JayCee Cooper. Both Caster & JayCee have been thrusted into the spotlight and are helping to undo so dreadful policies that limit certain bodies (in particular trans and gender non conforming folks) from competing as their true selves in women’s sports. **Update** As of June 3, 2019 the Swiss Court temporarily suspends new IAAF rules per Caster Semenya's legal team. Therefore, Caster will not need to take testosterone-reducing medication to compete.Caster Semenya: is a South African Olympic track runner and two time gold medalist in the 800 meter. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a regulation that will require some female track athletes with naturally-elevated testosterone levels to lower those levels with drugs or surgery, if they want to compete in certain women's events on the international stage. JayCee Cooper:  is a USA Powerlifter who was banned from competing in the Olympic Women’s Division because she identifies as a trans woman.Some additional subjects discussed in this Episode: **racism, gender essentialism and trans hatred in sports****Why are we targeting folks in sports who are already so deeply targeted in other areas of society?**Mack Beggs trans man wrestler high school student (forced to wrestle against women) was already medically transitioning. Texas sanctions women’s wrestling. 2016 Texas Policy determining gender based on birth certificates for sports in colleges.https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/25/transgender-wrestler-mack-beggs-wins-texas-girls-title**Andraya Yearwood trans femme youth athlete track Connecticut. https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/24/terry-miller-andraya-yearwood-transgender-sprinter/**Othering of trans women (trans women are women PERIOD!)There is no evidence to suggest that that trans are stealing anything. If you are good at the sport it is your athleticism which has nothing to do with the other athlete of their identity. **Why the mere existence of transwomen creates so much fear in society.**The conflation of body parts and gender**Sexist notion: that anyone assigned male at birth will automatically beat anyone assigned female at birth. **This informs how we discuss trans athletes, intersex athletes and women in general.**Testosterone not the “male sex hormone,” nor is it the key to athletic performance.**There is no such thing as *looking* transgender. **High profile female athletes (like Martina Navratilova) weaponize that notion and if gives more credence to the notion in the first place. It’s a false criticism of women’s sports in general. ***Notion of this influx of cis men posing as transwomen to gain unfair advantages in competitions.  Also carries similar narratives to this fear of cis men posing as trans women taking over bathroom spaces. “In the US, there’s not a single reported instance of this kind of voyeurism occurring in states with legal protections for trans people.”https://www.vox.com/identities/2016/5/13/17938102/transgender-people-bathrooms-locker-rooms-schools