Indeterminate sex tests
Name(s):
Inadequacy of sex tests for athletes
Discriminatory sex testing
Nature
Olympic athletes are genetically sex tested using a saliva sample. In about one of every 500 cases, a woman sports contestant is found to have a Y chromosome, indicating that she is actually a male. Often the first the woman knows of it is when she takes the test. The result is frequently shock, followed by considerable anguish and humiliation.
Background
There are a variety of birth defects, affecting perhaps one person in 500, that can cause a discrepancy between chromosome composition and sex. The degrees and physical manifestations vary greatly, but there is little to indicate that it gives an athlete a competitive advantage. One international amateur sporting body has discarded testing and relies primarily on visual examination of a person's genitals, usually as part of the overall physical.
Claim
These tests are cruel and discriminatory. There are a lot of women out there with a Y chromosomes, and there are a lot of men without a Y. What these tests do is leave behind tragedies.
Value(s)
Type
(F) Fuzzy exceptional problems