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Messages 1 - 8 of total 8 in this topic |
k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 10, 2015 - 09:57am PT
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We were talking about sports, or games, in which women can compete equally with men. That's an interesting subject in itself, but it lead us to the slippery slope of men, trans-gendered into women, competing as women.
What is it about that Y chromosome?
The Y chromosome is one of the two sex chromosomes in humans (the other is the X chromosome). The sex chromosomes form one of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes in each cell. The Y chromosome spans more than 59 million building blocks of DNA (base pairs) and represents almost 2 percent of the total DNA in cells.
Each person normally has one pair of sex chromosomes in each cell. The Y chromosome is present in males, who have one X and one Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes.
Obviously, we could test athletes competing as women for Y chromosomes, and kick 'em out of the event if they test positive, right?
Hmmm..., wait a minute. There's a rare condition whereby some women are born with Y chromosomes:
Women born with a rare condition that gives them a Y chromosome don’t only look like women physically, they also have the same brain responses to visual sexual stimuli, a new study shows.
Down to their core, they're women!
So what'd y'all think, should we be testing Roller Derby babes for Y chromosomes?
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 10, 2015 - 10:05am PT
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Locker! Did you go to sleep last night, or did you wake up with that thought?
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Oct 10, 2015 - 10:46am PT
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Locker..... wash out your thoughts.
... one sick puppy.
lol
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Oct 10, 2015 - 11:45am PT
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Kelly,
A simple definition of male vs. female is presence of a Y.
Some people with Y don't have normal external male genitalia (they are called "intersex").
Some have internal testes that didn't descend normally during fetal development.
In terms of classifying male vs. female for athletic performance,
the key is testosterone (T) level and if the body is sensitive to T in the normal way.
I.e. if more T makes it easier to grow big muscles and recover from training.
Here's an excellent article on the subject:
http://www.letsrun.com/news/2014/09/brief-history-intersex-athletes-sport/
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 10, 2015 - 11:53am PT
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Option three...
I read your thread title...
Ah, there's nothing like a fresh, unconstrained mind.
Moose, that's an interesting tale. Makes me wonder about how advanced gender modification was in the '60s.
Clint, thanks for the resource. Testosterone, eh?
It must be difficult for folks like Ewa Klobukowska, who are born with a strong motivation to compete, but their inner makeup disqualifies them. I wonder if she knew that before she set those records.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Oct 10, 2015 - 12:17pm PT
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Renée Richards (born August 19, 1934) is an American ophthalmologist, author and former professional tennis player. In 1975, Richards underwent sex reassignment surgery. She was denied entry into the 1976 US Open by the United States Tennis Association, citing an unprecedented policy that banned trans women. She disputed the ban, and the New York Supreme Court ruled in her favor in 1977 in a landmark decision in favor of transsexual rights.[2] Through her fight to play tennis as a woman, she challenged gender roles and became a role model and spokesperson for the transgender community.[3][4][5]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9e_Richards
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Oct 10, 2015 - 07:14pm PT
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This is a really well-worn discussion and argument in international sports that almost always tends to uncover lots of dubious cultural biases towards women in general.
Bottom line is that genetic gender verification is a difficult business.
Wiki: Gender verification in sports
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Oct 10, 2015 - 08:02pm PT
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Oh boy?
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