IP0606 Whose bodies belong in sport?

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-42zje-1aa10df

Why do some athletes get celebrated for their natural advantages — while others are treated as problems to be solved?

In this episode, we explore the case of Caster Semenya to unpack how gender, race, and power shape who is allowed to belong in sport. From international regulations on testosterone to media narratives about “fairness,” Semenya’s story reveals how institutions continue to police bodies that don’t fit narrow definitions of womanhood.

But this isn’t just about elite sport.

From women of colour on the global stage to transgender girls in school athletics, similar arguments about biology and fairness are being used to justify exclusion — often targeting those already marginalised. This episode asks:

• Who gets to define “fairness” in sport?
  Why are some bodies scrutinised while others are celebrated?
  And what are the psychological consequences of being treated as a problem rather than a person?
• This is a conversation about sport — but also about belonging, identity, and the systems that decide who counts. 

🎁 Support the podcast and get exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/IntersectionalPsychology. In this week’s bonus segment, we connect these ideas to current legal debates, including a landmark case before the Supreme Court of the United States on transgender girls in school sports.

📄 Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.

⏳ Chapter Timestamps

| 00:00:00 Short introduction 
| 00:00:57 Land acknowledgement
| 00:01:25 Title credits: Whose bodies belong in sport? 
| 00:01:49 Welcome and introduction continued 
| 00:04:18 The single, shallow story 
| 00:06:22 Institutionalised gender policing 
| 00:09:23 Human rights, not just sports 
| 00:11:30 Historical echoes: Sarah Baartman  
| 00:13:48 Women’s sport and media silence 
| 00:16:24 Queer visibility and resistance 
| 00:18:12 Representation as power
| 00:22:27 End credits

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