Transexual Olympiads

"It's about time," Michelle Dumaresq says of the Olympic committee's recent decision to allow transsexual athletes to compete in their self-identified gender.

Dumaresq, 33, broke new ground for transsexual athletes in 2001 by asserting her right to race as a woman. Now the post-operative male-to-female transsexual from Vancouver is the Canadian national champion in the women's downhill discipline.

While the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) new rules won't apply to her – since downhill mountain biking is not yet an Olympic sport – Dumaresq says she's pleased that trans athletes hoping to participate in the Games will no longer face the barriers that have dogged her.

Until recently, transsexual athletes were barred from competing in the Olympics. Then in May, the IOC's executive board approved a policy establishing the conditions under which athletes who have changed sex could participate in the games. The new rules kick in this Friday in Athens. "I think this clearly shows that we will always address issues on human rights. That's something that we find very important," says Charmaine Crooks, an Olympic silver medallist and Canadian IOC member living in Vancouver. "It also shows that when there is an issue, we will study it and if it fits with our fundamental values and philosophies, then we will act on it and act quickly, but also act in the best interest of all athletes."

Gwen Smith, a board member of the U.S.-based Gender Education and Advocacy group, calls the IOC decision a "very small" step forward for trans rights.

"At the very least, it further shows that transgender people are human beings. We deserve to compete," says the San Francisco activist. "It certainly moves things forward in this venue, and it also further will help show that we're here and we're able.

"I don't think you're going to see any great change in the amount of Olympic athletes that are transgendered – not in the short term," Smith continues. "That said, I think you're going to see more athletes overall who are already transgendered, who will feel that they have an actual opportunity to compete."

Smith is hoping that other sports bodies will follow the IOC's lead – though she also hopes the IOC will relax its conditions for transsexual athletes in the future.

According to the IOC's new policy, transsexual athletes must have undergone sexual reassignment surgery to be eligible to compete in their gender. If the operation took place before puberty, the athlete's gender will be respected.

In the case of a post-puberty gender transition, athletes must undergo complete genital surgery and get their gonads (their ovaries or testes) removed before they can compete. They also have to get legal recognition of their chosen gender and complete hormone therapy to minimize any sex-related advantages, the policy says.

Post-pubescent transitioners will then have to wait two years before they can become eligible to apply for a confidential IOC evaluation.

Dumaresq says the IOC's policy – including its two-year wait – is appropriate. "I believe that there should be a waiting period to eliminate the physical advantages," she says. "I know personally how long my body took to change, and two years is plenty."

Some observers have expressed concern that transsexual athletes may, in spite of the rules, possess an unfair advantage over their peers. One news report quoted an Ottawa doctor's claims that male-to-female transsexuals will have the advantage of size and strength, while female-to-male transsexuals could have an edge where endurance is concerned. The report raised the spectre of Olympic-obsessed athletes changing sex to gain the upper hand.

Dumaresq disputes such claims. The mountain biker is adamant she doesn't have any unfair advantage over her peers.