by M. J. Joachim

Created on: September 24, 2009   Last Updated: October 03, 2009

How Gender Controversies Impact Sporting Events

There are many different gender conditions to think about when studying the issue of gender controversies in sports. Consider the story of Mike Penner, the long time sports reporter who took time off to become a woman in 2007. He was hailed as a hero in transgender groups, and received honors for his courage in coming forward. Only 1 1/2 years later, he changed his mind and resumed life as a man again, due to a little known condition referred to as transgender regret. "Though there's no data available on how many transgender people abandon their new gender, psychologist Ron Lawrence of the Community Counseling Center in Las Vegas says about 5% of his transgender patients revert,"

states USA Today.

In an article discussing sexual genetics, Dr. Barry Starr of Stanford University states, "No amount of surgery, hormone injections, or anything else will change someone's DNA from a man's to a woman's (or vice versa)." He goes on to explain that when a gene called SRY "turns on" in the human body, testosterone is produced, but, "it needs a protein called the androgen receptor to have any effect." Women have the protein androgen receptor in their bodies, just not as much as men have. It is therefore easy to manipulate male and female traits through hormone injections, but this does not change the internal physical attributes designated at birth.

Gender Identity Disorder is a very real condition, and it has many underlying causes. It is different from the condition known as hypogonadism , in which an individual is born with both male and female genitalia. Gender confusion is difficult to deal with, and it can wreak havoc in the lives of people living with it. Take for example the life of transsexual tennis player, Renee Richards. She was actually born a male, and was even the captain of the Yale University's Men's Tennis Team. In 1975, Renee Richards, born and named Richard Raskin by her parents, opted to have sex change surgery and became a female before trying to compete in the US Open Tournament. After a long, drawn out and much heated court battle, she was allowed to compete in 1977.

In 1999, she came forward to express regrets about her decision to undergo a sex change, being quoted in various sources, including the Associated Press, Tennis Magazine, and the New York Times. In February 1999, Renee is clear about her feelings regarding her decision when she says, "But if you're a 45-year-old man and you're an airline

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