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The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports
The story of the early trans athletes and Olympic bureaucrats who lit the flame for today’s culture wars.
In December 1935, Zdeněk Koubek, one of the most famous sprinters in European women’s sports, declared he was now living as a man. Around the same time, the celebrated British field athlete Mark Weston, also assigned female at birth, announced that he, too, was a man. Periodicals and radio programs across the world carried the news; both became global celebrities. A few decades later, they were all but forgotten. And in the wake of their transitions, what could have been a push toward equality became instead, through a confluence of bureaucracy, war, and sheer happenstance, the exact opposite: the now all-too-familiar panic around trans, intersex, and gender nonconforming athletes.
In The Other Olympians, Michael Waters uncovers, for the first time, the gripping true stories of Koubek, Weston, and other pioneering trans and intersex athletes from their era. With dogged research and cinematic flair, Waters also tracks how International Olympic Committee members ignored Nazi Germany’s atrocities in order to pull off the Berlin Games, a partnership that ultimately influenced the IOC’s nearly century-long obsession with surveilling and cataloging gender.
Immersive and revelatory, The Other Olympians is a groundbreaking, hidden-in-the-archives marvel, an inspiring call for equality, and an essential contribution toward understanding the contemporary culture wars over gender in sports.
In December 1935, Zdeněk Koubek, one of the most famous sprinters in European women’s sports, declared he was now living as a man. Around the same time, the celebrated British field athlete Mark Weston, also assigned female at birth, announced that he, too, was a man. Periodicals and radio programs across the world carried the news; both became global celebrities. A few decades later, they were all but forgotten. And in the wake of their transitions, what could have been a push toward equality became instead, through a confluence of bureaucracy, war, and sheer happenstance, the exact opposite: the now all-too-familiar panic around trans, intersex, and gender nonconforming athletes.
In The Other Olympians, Michael Waters uncovers, for the first time, the gripping true stories of Koubek, Weston, and other pioneering trans and intersex athletes from their era. With dogged research and cinematic flair, Waters also tracks how International Olympic Committee members ignored Nazi Germany’s atrocities in order to pull off the Berlin Games, a partnership that ultimately influenced the IOC’s nearly century-long obsession with surveilling and cataloging gender.
Immersive and revelatory, The Other Olympians is a groundbreaking, hidden-in-the-archives marvel, an inspiring call for equality, and an essential contribution toward understanding the contemporary culture wars over gender in sports.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
May 6, 2024
THIS WAS SO FASCINATING! The Other Olympians details the stories of several athletes who publicly transitioned in the 1930s, calls for sex testing in women’s sports, and how that was tied into the Nazi Party and the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. It’s always so interesting to go back and see true stories of queer/trans individuals in history, it just makes it so clear that this is something that has always been around no matter what certain people try to say. It’s also so frustrating to see how current ideas about needing to ban trans women from women’s sports can be traced back to misinformation, fascism, and the Nazi Party.
Seriously, this book is so eye opening. I had never heard of the stories of these athletes who transitioned on the world stage. The trans men featured in the book all transitioned after competing as female athletes. This caused a stir about keeping men out of women’s sports, but none of these men wanted to go back to competing against women.
The author covers all the different conversations people were having about wanting to start sex testing for women's sports. He details how there was actually a lot of public support for the men after they transitioned, and a lot of the detractors or the people who were the most adamant about implementing sex testing came from the Nazi Party or were sympathizers. There’s a lot of discussion in the book about how sex isn’t a binary category and how these men trying to set up the rules couldn’t even really describe who they were trying to keep out of women’s sports.
I definitely recommend this book for people who are interested in LGBTQ+ history. It makes so much sense to see how the history of sex testing in women’s sports was tied to fascism, especially when thinking about who is continuing that messed up cause in the present. I ended up listening to the whole book in one day because it was just so engrossing.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Seriously, this book is so eye opening. I had never heard of the stories of these athletes who transitioned on the world stage. The trans men featured in the book all transitioned after competing as female athletes. This caused a stir about keeping men out of women’s sports, but none of these men wanted to go back to competing against women.
The author covers all the different conversations people were having about wanting to start sex testing for women's sports. He details how there was actually a lot of public support for the men after they transitioned, and a lot of the detractors or the people who were the most adamant about implementing sex testing came from the Nazi Party or were sympathizers. There’s a lot of discussion in the book about how sex isn’t a binary category and how these men trying to set up the rules couldn’t even really describe who they were trying to keep out of women’s sports.
I definitely recommend this book for people who are interested in LGBTQ+ history. It makes so much sense to see how the history of sex testing in women’s sports was tied to fascism, especially when thinking about who is continuing that messed up cause in the present. I ended up listening to the whole book in one day because it was just so engrossing.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 13, 2024
man. i don’t even care about sports like that and yet this slapped so supremely. if you’re gonna read a book of queer history this month, make it this one. thoughtful, well-researched, and wonderfully clear about the first transgender athletes and the origins of sex testing in sports. (surprise surprise, it’s the fucking nazis!) zdeněk koubek i would like to formally offer my hand in marriage. avery brundage i am going to dig you up so i can kill you again. this book is tremendous but it also made me so angry, and so sad.
June 15, 2024
this book is SO good. as a reluctant reader of non fiction, I found this so readable and engaging. easily the most I’ve ever cared about the Olympics!
Read
July 14, 2024thank you fsg for the arc!!
the other olympians traces the history of trans and intersex athletes. while focusing specifically on events leading up to and encompassing the berlin olympics in 1936, michael waters manages to expertly weave together the history of sex testing in sports with the modern implications of doing so.
full disclosure: i do not care about the olympics. all of it is a bit too patriotic for my liking (lol). but seeing a nonbinary athlete win the 1500m at the olympic trials this year absolutely moved me. so reading this book at this specific moment in time just really worked. at this point in time, this book holds tremendous value and isn't afraid to point out the absolute evil at the core of sex testing policies.
i did find the structure of the beginning of this book kind of hard to follow, although i understand why. there was simply a lot to set up and a lot of historical figures to introduce. i wish this information was delivered more smoothly, but i was able to find my footing as the book progressed.
this quote in particular spoke to me (technically quoting from an arc, nobody yell at me):
"sex testing, from the start, was never about an actual threat to women's sports. it was always about the perception of a threat; the ambient sense of panic around femininity, masculinity, and gender transition; the feeling that something fundamental was shifting in the relationship between gender and sports and that the only way to stop it was to forcibly examine the bodies of anyone deemed suspect. it was policy rooted not in real harm, but in abstract fear."
out now from fsg!! educate yourselves!! and trans rights are human rights!! <3
the other olympians traces the history of trans and intersex athletes. while focusing specifically on events leading up to and encompassing the berlin olympics in 1936, michael waters manages to expertly weave together the history of sex testing in sports with the modern implications of doing so.
full disclosure: i do not care about the olympics. all of it is a bit too patriotic for my liking (lol). but seeing a nonbinary athlete win the 1500m at the olympic trials this year absolutely moved me. so reading this book at this specific moment in time just really worked. at this point in time, this book holds tremendous value and isn't afraid to point out the absolute evil at the core of sex testing policies.
i did find the structure of the beginning of this book kind of hard to follow, although i understand why. there was simply a lot to set up and a lot of historical figures to introduce. i wish this information was delivered more smoothly, but i was able to find my footing as the book progressed.
this quote in particular spoke to me (technically quoting from an arc, nobody yell at me):
"sex testing, from the start, was never about an actual threat to women's sports. it was always about the perception of a threat; the ambient sense of panic around femininity, masculinity, and gender transition; the feeling that something fundamental was shifting in the relationship between gender and sports and that the only way to stop it was to forcibly examine the bodies of anyone deemed suspect. it was policy rooted not in real harm, but in abstract fear."
out now from fsg!! educate yourselves!! and trans rights are human rights!! <3
July 2, 2024
Fascinating, well written and very well researched - the story of several trans athletes as well as a history of the early olympics (specifically through the lens of gender). Definitely one of the best non-fiction books I’ve read.
Read
June 8, 2024GENDER BENDING OLYMPIANS TELL HITLER TO GET FUCKED!
This book could not have come at a more timely moment, and I'm so glad it did! It's hard to believe that the origins of sex testing athletes are so forgotten. But as is clear globally, in many different ways right now, the world more than failed to reckon with Nazism and its legacy—over and over, 20th century-style fascism, biological essentialism, anti-semitism and heteropatriarchy are misremembered. This book explores with precision the ways in which a lack of reckoning allowed these evils to live on, shifting in form but not defeated. Nazi or Nazi-sympathetic IOC officials who set in motion sex testing were never held responsible for their Nazism (@ Mr. Brundage, eat shit!), and thus the origins of the sex testing regime receded, the practice was pushed along by a few effective spurts of misinformation, and sex testing was allowed to become "the way things are done."
In addition to its timeliness, I appreciate the deeply committed research that made this book possible. Waters pulls from an enormous archive, bringing to life the actions, desires, struggles and hypocrisy of Olympic athletes and their tormenters. If his goal is to unflatten this moment in queer history—to add depth to figures who transgressed boundaries of gender and sexuality long before Love is Love—he succeeds completely.
This book could not have come at a more timely moment, and I'm so glad it did! It's hard to believe that the origins of sex testing athletes are so forgotten. But as is clear globally, in many different ways right now, the world more than failed to reckon with Nazism and its legacy—over and over, 20th century-style fascism, biological essentialism, anti-semitism and heteropatriarchy are misremembered. This book explores with precision the ways in which a lack of reckoning allowed these evils to live on, shifting in form but not defeated. Nazi or Nazi-sympathetic IOC officials who set in motion sex testing were never held responsible for their Nazism (@ Mr. Brundage, eat shit!), and thus the origins of the sex testing regime receded, the practice was pushed along by a few effective spurts of misinformation, and sex testing was allowed to become "the way things are done."
In addition to its timeliness, I appreciate the deeply committed research that made this book possible. Waters pulls from an enormous archive, bringing to life the actions, desires, struggles and hypocrisy of Olympic athletes and their tormenters. If his goal is to unflatten this moment in queer history—to add depth to figures who transgressed boundaries of gender and sexuality long before Love is Love—he succeeds completely.
June 19, 2024
This book was utterly compelling! Such concise, factual, and fascinating work. The author is a journalist and his writing is reflective of that, in it that he keeps you engaged by moving forward through the facts well and leaves open ended questions to help the reader understand.
I was struck throughout the book by the eerily similar beginnings of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power and the current far-right leadership style. It definitely made me think a bit.
But I was also surprised by the public’s openness at acceptance of Zoubek and Weston. I think the current public perception could take some notes.
Ultimately this is very important book to read to gain some perspective on modern sports and men vs women debate. Highly recommend!
I was struck throughout the book by the eerily similar beginnings of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power and the current far-right leadership style. It definitely made me think a bit.
But I was also surprised by the public’s openness at acceptance of Zoubek and Weston. I think the current public perception could take some notes.
Ultimately this is very important book to read to gain some perspective on modern sports and men vs women debate. Highly recommend!
July 24, 2024
Michael Waters put together a fascinating outline of history that intersects sports, trans identities, and world affairs in a way that showcases how intricately linked the relationship between transphobia and fascism truly is (which is not to say that transphobia only comes out of fascism). Waters tells the stories of multiple trans, intersex, and queer athletes that aren’t just rife with tragedy, but surprisingly some acceptance in 1930s Europe. I think many of us, even with queer and trans identities, have thought of the modern day as the most progressive as far as acceptance for our communities go; however, Waters reminds us that without the Nazi regime, who knows where our understanding and acceptance of trans identities could be in this moment? highly suggest for an eerie account of similar transphobic issues we see today, but occurring over 80 years ago.
January 16, 2024
It’s hard to think of a coherent review for this because it covers so much. I have to say this book is timely. It stressed me out because I couldn’t stop seeing the parallels between the 30s and the rise of fascism and our own time, not to sound like a middle aged democrat, but it was so clear that I was stressed.
But I learned so much reading this! I love to see proof that queer people were always here and to see that I think four or five athletes from around Europe transitioned publicly in the 30s and 40s was so so wild because I just didn’t thrink of that happening. And at the beginning at least people were way more welcoming about it than I ever expected. To see these people’s thoughts about their gender and sexuality so explicitly makes me feel more… grounded in myself as a person who exists in history, if that makes sense. knowing that it wasn’t just a faceless blob of people from the past but real individuals like me makes me feel more connected to the past and future I think.
I’m just so impressed that the author was able to weave together all of these stories for something that feels so timely and impactful. I couldn’t stop reading, even though I was sad about the treatment of gender nonconforming athletes as sex testing was instituted. It truly hurt my heart. And it’s so so wild to see how our current sex testing in sports basically descends from Nazis and fascism. Like, of course it does, but it’s crazy to see in black and white.
But I learned so much reading this! I love to see proof that queer people were always here and to see that I think four or five athletes from around Europe transitioned publicly in the 30s and 40s was so so wild because I just didn’t thrink of that happening. And at the beginning at least people were way more welcoming about it than I ever expected. To see these people’s thoughts about their gender and sexuality so explicitly makes me feel more… grounded in myself as a person who exists in history, if that makes sense. knowing that it wasn’t just a faceless blob of people from the past but real individuals like me makes me feel more connected to the past and future I think.
I’m just so impressed that the author was able to weave together all of these stories for something that feels so timely and impactful. I couldn’t stop reading, even though I was sad about the treatment of gender nonconforming athletes as sex testing was instituted. It truly hurt my heart. And it’s so so wild to see how our current sex testing in sports basically descends from Nazis and fascism. Like, of course it does, but it’s crazy to see in black and white.
July 19, 2024
In The Other Olympians, journalist Michael Waters takes us through a fascinating deep dive into the early history women's professional athletics in the 1930s, focusing on a group of prominent athletes competing in women's events whose sex and gender identities were called into question in line with the attitudes, prejudices, and extent of medical knowledge at the time. Waters profiles the Czech athlete Zdeněk Koubek (see the nice feature on the author's website) most closely. Koubek, who is pictured on the book's cover, was a prominent runner and long jumper who competed in the 1934 Women's World Games organized by the pioneering Alice Milliat, at a time when women were not permitted to compete in the Olympics. Koubek was assigned female at birth, but his height, facial features, muscular frame, and athletic performance drew much speculation about his sex; he then transitioned to male in the mid-1930s, undergoing the version of gender affirmation surgery available at the time. Waters also profiles the British Mark Weston, another prominent athlete who competed in the Women's World Games before his gender transition, and the American 1936 Olympic gold medalist Helen Stephens, who faced widespread speculation based on her build and low-pitched voice that she was not really female (though Stephens did identify as female and was troubled by the persistent accusations).
Waters spends the last third of the book expounding on the 1936 Summer Olympics in Hitler's Berlin, at which women were allowed to compete yet their sex identity was highly scrutinized, with many asked to undergo invasive physical examinations by their countries' medical teams to certify that they were biologically female enough before being cleared to compete. He talks a bit about the controversial modern history of sex determination in sports, including testing athletes competing in women's events for genetic (karyotype) and hormonal (testosterone levels) markers of maleness.
My one critique of this book -- that Waters partially addresses at the end -- is that this topic largely isn't presented with a distinction between what we now call sex (biological sex/sex assigned at birth based on examination of an infant's external appearance) and gender identity (socially constructed, self-identified, and potentially fluid over one's lifetime). In terms of biological sex, intersex conditions aren't uncommon, and can have both genetic causes (i.e., congenital adrenal hyperplasia, partial or complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, sex chromosome mosaicism) and acquired causes (i.e., hormone-secreting adrenal tumors). It's unclear (and likely impossible to know) whether the athletes most prominently featured in this book were medically intersex or not, and/or if they would identify as transgender, genderqueer, non-binary or none of the above by today's concepts. Overall, Waters does a good job of not transposing today's moralities and definitions into these historical figures of the not-so-recent past.
Further reading:
T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us by Carole Hooven
My statistics:
Book 156 for 2024
Book 1759 cumulatively
Waters spends the last third of the book expounding on the 1936 Summer Olympics in Hitler's Berlin, at which women were allowed to compete yet their sex identity was highly scrutinized, with many asked to undergo invasive physical examinations by their countries' medical teams to certify that they were biologically female enough before being cleared to compete. He talks a bit about the controversial modern history of sex determination in sports, including testing athletes competing in women's events for genetic (karyotype) and hormonal (testosterone levels) markers of maleness.
My one critique of this book -- that Waters partially addresses at the end -- is that this topic largely isn't presented with a distinction between what we now call sex (biological sex/sex assigned at birth based on examination of an infant's external appearance) and gender identity (socially constructed, self-identified, and potentially fluid over one's lifetime). In terms of biological sex, intersex conditions aren't uncommon, and can have both genetic causes (i.e., congenital adrenal hyperplasia, partial or complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, sex chromosome mosaicism) and acquired causes (i.e., hormone-secreting adrenal tumors). It's unclear (and likely impossible to know) whether the athletes most prominently featured in this book were medically intersex or not, and/or if they would identify as transgender, genderqueer, non-binary or none of the above by today's concepts. Overall, Waters does a good job of not transposing today's moralities and definitions into these historical figures of the not-so-recent past.
Further reading:
T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us by Carole Hooven
My statistics:
Book 156 for 2024
Book 1759 cumulatively
July 11, 2024
A really interesting exploration/historical account of queer Olympian athletes and the way the IOC evolved to fully embrace sex testing as a way to exclude intersex and trans athletes. Starting from the 1930s, the book highlights some of the most prominent trans athletes of the day and the reception they received from both the press and world at large. Great on audio and highly recommended if you want to better understand gender and sports in history over time!
June 24, 2024
ARC provided by Netgalley, this was a hopeful and enlightening read! Perfect for pride month, and it was wonderful to gain some insight into a moment in trans history that I really didn't know that much about! While I do wish the structure had been a little tighter at times, with the transitions between more objective, birds eye delivery of information and zooming into the more character based scene structure sometimes coming off as less than smooth, it's defintely a minor criticism compared to such a treat of a book. Overall totally worth the read if you're interested in queer history, and I've already recommended it to a couple of friends!
May 22, 2024
THE OTHER OLYMPIANS is an investigative look at the history of gender-nonconforming athletes, the accompanying legislations and regulations, and the deeply fascist roots of sex testing and discrimination. The author's note featured at the end sums this piece up nicely. While it's disheartening to see the mirroring outrage now as nearly a hundred years ago, the book is also filled with hope in the individual athletes we meet, and the lives they were able to live for themselves outside of sports. Public history likes to hide the lives of people who don't fit their (unspecified) standards, so I was personally touched to read the accounts of trans men that I could see myself in who died years before I was born.
I strongly encourage anyone who wishes to voice an opinion on the 'debate' of trans athletes to read this novel—as well as Fair Play .
Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for providing a review copy.
I strongly encourage anyone who wishes to voice an opinion on the 'debate' of trans athletes to read this novel—as well as Fair Play .
Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for providing a review copy.
June 23, 2024
Journalist and freelance writer Michael Waters has written a fascinating history of transitioning athletes of the early twentieth century and how the Olympics organization of the time reacted to them. The book covers events that were new to me, and it shines a light on the background to an issue that today manages to provide fodder for political controversy.
Waters follows most closely the life of Zdeněk Koubek, a Czech track athlete. Koubek won five national titles and two medals at the 1934 Women’s World Games and was considered one of the best athletes in Czechoslovakia. Koubek was always shy around other athletes, and never changed or showered in communal locker rooms. This, along with some of Koubek’s physical characteristics (the athlete was said to have a need to regularly shave off facial hair) prompted rumors about whether Koubek was a woman or a man.
In 1935 Koubek withdrew from sports and after a period of time announced that he would live the rest of his life as a man. He consulted with physicians, underwent examinations, and was determined to have predominantly male sexual characteristics. He underwent some type of surgery (what exactly is not known today) and by 1936 was pronounced by his doctors to have “become” a man.
The press and public reaction to Koubek and his transition was curious but generally positive. Around the same time that he transitioned, another athlete who had previously competed in the Women’s World Games came out and transitioned as a man. The British athlete known as Mary Louise Edith Weston became Mark Weston. Again, public and press expressed curiosity but were generally positive.
Waters emphasizes that it is difficult to put the labels we use today on these athletes. Whether they were intersex (being born with biological traits that do not fit traditional classifications of male or female) or trans (a person whose gender identity doesn’t match that typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth) isn’t really known, as those terms were not used in the 1930s. How reporters and the general public processed what was happening to these athletes would not take such distinctions into account.
Waters makes the case that leading theories of sex and gender at the time even contemplated the possibility that people could spontaneously experience a change in gender as a natural occurrence beyond their control. That’s quite a different understanding of sex and gender than we have today.
The other important person Waters follows in his book is Alice Milliat, the pioneering French female sports organizer who founded the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale (International Women’s Sports Federation) and the Women’s World Games. She took these actions after the Olympics organizers refused to include women’s track and field events in the 1924 Olympics.
Milliat’s struggles with the Olympic organizers continued for several years after the 1924 games, up to and through the Berlin Olympics held in 1936. In general, as Waters’ research tells us, a powerful clique within the Olympic organizers (including the American Avery Brundage) did not want women competing in the Olympics track events, nor did they appreciate the competition that Milliat’s Federation and her Games represented. They worked hard to push Milliat to turn over her organization to them. She eventually gave in and did so after the 1936 games. As you might expect, women’s participation in the Olympics did not substantially increase until the 1970s.
Among the things that Brundage and his fellows did to push Milliat was to question how she could have allowed athletes to compete in her games when they did not display what they felt were “normal” female characteristics (referring to Koubek and Weston). Brundage proposed to the head of the Olympics that it begin instituting a policy of medical examination of women athletes before competing in the Olympics.
The policy became effective for women track and field athletes at the 1936 Olympics. Waters goes into detail about how many of the proponents of the testing instituted at the 1936 Games were the Nazi hosts, as it fit into their own notions of purity and “normative gender standards”. This included the Nazi sports doctor Wilhelm Knoll, who was one of the first to advocate for testing.
This notion that women athletes need to prove that they fit into what have never been well-defined criteria of femaleness persists to this day. Waters devotes several pages in this book to just how unworkable and unscientific such a pursuit actually is. The panic that some man will attempt to compete as a woman and ruin things for all the “real” women (or worse), is in the air these days, and is being exploited for political gain.
Interestingly, when Alice Milliat was questioned about whether Koubek’s medals should be revoked after he transitioned, she gave what I think was an insightful reply. “If it is proved that [Koubek] has become a man,” she said, “it is logical to consider that previously she was a woman.”
Waters follows most closely the life of Zdeněk Koubek, a Czech track athlete. Koubek won five national titles and two medals at the 1934 Women’s World Games and was considered one of the best athletes in Czechoslovakia. Koubek was always shy around other athletes, and never changed or showered in communal locker rooms. This, along with some of Koubek’s physical characteristics (the athlete was said to have a need to regularly shave off facial hair) prompted rumors about whether Koubek was a woman or a man.
In 1935 Koubek withdrew from sports and after a period of time announced that he would live the rest of his life as a man. He consulted with physicians, underwent examinations, and was determined to have predominantly male sexual characteristics. He underwent some type of surgery (what exactly is not known today) and by 1936 was pronounced by his doctors to have “become” a man.
The press and public reaction to Koubek and his transition was curious but generally positive. Around the same time that he transitioned, another athlete who had previously competed in the Women’s World Games came out and transitioned as a man. The British athlete known as Mary Louise Edith Weston became Mark Weston. Again, public and press expressed curiosity but were generally positive.
Waters emphasizes that it is difficult to put the labels we use today on these athletes. Whether they were intersex (being born with biological traits that do not fit traditional classifications of male or female) or trans (a person whose gender identity doesn’t match that typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth) isn’t really known, as those terms were not used in the 1930s. How reporters and the general public processed what was happening to these athletes would not take such distinctions into account.
Waters makes the case that leading theories of sex and gender at the time even contemplated the possibility that people could spontaneously experience a change in gender as a natural occurrence beyond their control. That’s quite a different understanding of sex and gender than we have today.
The other important person Waters follows in his book is Alice Milliat, the pioneering French female sports organizer who founded the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale (International Women’s Sports Federation) and the Women’s World Games. She took these actions after the Olympics organizers refused to include women’s track and field events in the 1924 Olympics.
Milliat’s struggles with the Olympic organizers continued for several years after the 1924 games, up to and through the Berlin Olympics held in 1936. In general, as Waters’ research tells us, a powerful clique within the Olympic organizers (including the American Avery Brundage) did not want women competing in the Olympics track events, nor did they appreciate the competition that Milliat’s Federation and her Games represented. They worked hard to push Milliat to turn over her organization to them. She eventually gave in and did so after the 1936 games. As you might expect, women’s participation in the Olympics did not substantially increase until the 1970s.
Among the things that Brundage and his fellows did to push Milliat was to question how she could have allowed athletes to compete in her games when they did not display what they felt were “normal” female characteristics (referring to Koubek and Weston). Brundage proposed to the head of the Olympics that it begin instituting a policy of medical examination of women athletes before competing in the Olympics.
The policy became effective for women track and field athletes at the 1936 Olympics. Waters goes into detail about how many of the proponents of the testing instituted at the 1936 Games were the Nazi hosts, as it fit into their own notions of purity and “normative gender standards”. This included the Nazi sports doctor Wilhelm Knoll, who was one of the first to advocate for testing.
This notion that women athletes need to prove that they fit into what have never been well-defined criteria of femaleness persists to this day. Waters devotes several pages in this book to just how unworkable and unscientific such a pursuit actually is. The panic that some man will attempt to compete as a woman and ruin things for all the “real” women (or worse), is in the air these days, and is being exploited for political gain.
Interestingly, when Alice Milliat was questioned about whether Koubek’s medals should be revoked after he transitioned, she gave what I think was an insightful reply. “If it is proved that [Koubek] has become a man,” she said, “it is logical to consider that previously she was a woman.”
May 12, 2024
Kako izbrati pravo spletno športno stavnico
Izbira prave spletne športne stavnice je ključnega pomena za prijetno in uspešno izkušnjo športnih stav. Ker je na voljo toliko možnosti, je pomembno, da pred odločitvijo upoštevate več dejavnikov. Obiščite naš vodnik, ki vam bo pomagal izbrati najboljše spletno mesto za sportske stave za leto 2024! Tukaj je obsežen vodnik o tem, kako izbrati najboljšo spletno športno stavnico za svoje potrebe:
1. Ugled in zanesljivost
Začnite z raziskovanjem ugleda in zanesljivosti športne stavnice. Poiščite uveljavljene ponudnike s poštenimi izplačili, preglednimi praksami in pozitivnimi ocenami strank. Izogibajte se offshore ali nelicenciranim športnim stavam, ki lahko ogrozijo vaša sredstva in osebne podatke.
2. Licenciranje in ureditev
Prepričajte se, da imajo športne stave licenco in jih ureja ugleden organ za igre na srečo. To zagotavlja dodatno raven varnosti in zagotavlja, da se operater drži strogih standardov poštenosti in odgovornosti.
3. Vsi trgi športa in stav
Razmislite o različnih trgih športa in stav, ki jih ponujajo športne stavnice. Izberite platformo, ki pokriva široko paleto športov in ponuja različne stavne možnosti, kot so stave na denarno linijo, razpon točk, agregat, parlay in prop stave. To vam omogoča, da raziščete različne stavne strategije in prilagodite svojim željam.
4. Koeficienti konkurenčnosti
Primerjajte kvote, ki jih ponujajo različne športne stavnice, da povečate svoje potencialne donose. Poiščite športne stavnice, ki dosledno ponujajo konkurenčne kvote in ugodna izplačila v primerjavi s svojimi konkurenti.
5. Uporabniški vmesnik in izkušnja
Izberite športno stavnico s priročnim vmesnikom in intuitivnim dizajnom. Dobro zasnovana platforma izboljša celotno stavno izkušnjo in olajša krmarjenje med različnimi športi, trgi in možnostmi stav.
6. Bančne možnosti in varnost
Preverite razpoložljive bančne možnosti za pologe in dvige. Zanesljiva športna stavnica mora ponujati varne načine plačila, kot so kreditne/debetne kartice, e-denarnice (kot sta PayPal in Skrill), bančna nakazila in kriptovalute. Prepričajte se, da športna stavnica uporablja napredno tehnologijo šifriranja za zaščito vaših finančnih transakcij in osebnih podatkov.
7. Bonusi in promocije
Razmislite o bonusih in promocijah, ki jih ponuja športna borza, da izboljšate svoje možnosti stav. Poiščite bonuse dobrodošlice za nove stranke, stalne promocije in programe zvestobe, ki nagrajujejo redne igralce. Vendar preberite pogoje in določila bonusa, da boste razumeli zahteve in omejitve stav.
8. Storitve za stranke
Ocenite kakovost storitev za stranke, ki jih ponuja športna stavnica. Izberite platforme, ki ponujajo odzivno podporo strankam prek več kanalov, kot so klepet v živo, e-pošta ali telefon. Hitra in ustrežljiva služba za stranke je bistvena za učinkovito reševanje težav ali vprašanj.
9. Mobilna združljivost
V današnji digitalni dobi je mobilna združljivost bistvena za priročne športne stave. Izberite športno stavnico, ki ponuja odzivno mobilno aplikacijo ali mobilnim napravam prijazno spletno mesto. To vam omogoča, da stavite na poti s svojim pametnim telefonom ali tablico.
10. Odgovorno stavljanje
Na koncu dajte prednost športnim stavam, ki spodbujajo odgovorno igranje iger na srečo. Poiščite funkcije, kot so omejitve depozitov, možnosti samoizključitve in dostop do podpornih virov za igre na srečo. Stave naj bodo prijetne in v okviru vaših zmožnosti.
Če povzamemo, izbira prave spletne športne stavnice zahteva natančno preučitev različnih dejavnikov, od ugleda in licenciranja do možnosti stav in storitev za stranke. S temeljito raziskavo in razvrščanjem ključnih meril lahko najdete ugledno in zanesljivo športno stavnico, ki ustreza vašim potrebam in izboljša vašo izkušnjo športnih stav. Ne pozabite staviti odgovorno in uživajte v svojih najljubših športih!
Izbira prave spletne športne stavnice je ključnega pomena za prijetno in uspešno izkušnjo športnih stav. Ker je na voljo toliko možnosti, je pomembno, da pred odločitvijo upoštevate več dejavnikov. Obiščite naš vodnik, ki vam bo pomagal izbrati najboljše spletno mesto za sportske stave za leto 2024! Tukaj je obsežen vodnik o tem, kako izbrati najboljšo spletno športno stavnico za svoje potrebe:
1. Ugled in zanesljivost
Začnite z raziskovanjem ugleda in zanesljivosti športne stavnice. Poiščite uveljavljene ponudnike s poštenimi izplačili, preglednimi praksami in pozitivnimi ocenami strank. Izogibajte se offshore ali nelicenciranim športnim stavam, ki lahko ogrozijo vaša sredstva in osebne podatke.
2. Licenciranje in ureditev
Prepričajte se, da imajo športne stave licenco in jih ureja ugleden organ za igre na srečo. To zagotavlja dodatno raven varnosti in zagotavlja, da se operater drži strogih standardov poštenosti in odgovornosti.
3. Vsi trgi športa in stav
Razmislite o različnih trgih športa in stav, ki jih ponujajo športne stavnice. Izberite platformo, ki pokriva široko paleto športov in ponuja različne stavne možnosti, kot so stave na denarno linijo, razpon točk, agregat, parlay in prop stave. To vam omogoča, da raziščete različne stavne strategije in prilagodite svojim željam.
4. Koeficienti konkurenčnosti
Primerjajte kvote, ki jih ponujajo različne športne stavnice, da povečate svoje potencialne donose. Poiščite športne stavnice, ki dosledno ponujajo konkurenčne kvote in ugodna izplačila v primerjavi s svojimi konkurenti.
5. Uporabniški vmesnik in izkušnja
Izberite športno stavnico s priročnim vmesnikom in intuitivnim dizajnom. Dobro zasnovana platforma izboljša celotno stavno izkušnjo in olajša krmarjenje med različnimi športi, trgi in možnostmi stav.
6. Bančne možnosti in varnost
Preverite razpoložljive bančne možnosti za pologe in dvige. Zanesljiva športna stavnica mora ponujati varne načine plačila, kot so kreditne/debetne kartice, e-denarnice (kot sta PayPal in Skrill), bančna nakazila in kriptovalute. Prepričajte se, da športna stavnica uporablja napredno tehnologijo šifriranja za zaščito vaših finančnih transakcij in osebnih podatkov.
7. Bonusi in promocije
Razmislite o bonusih in promocijah, ki jih ponuja športna borza, da izboljšate svoje možnosti stav. Poiščite bonuse dobrodošlice za nove stranke, stalne promocije in programe zvestobe, ki nagrajujejo redne igralce. Vendar preberite pogoje in določila bonusa, da boste razumeli zahteve in omejitve stav.
8. Storitve za stranke
Ocenite kakovost storitev za stranke, ki jih ponuja športna stavnica. Izberite platforme, ki ponujajo odzivno podporo strankam prek več kanalov, kot so klepet v živo, e-pošta ali telefon. Hitra in ustrežljiva služba za stranke je bistvena za učinkovito reševanje težav ali vprašanj.
9. Mobilna združljivost
V današnji digitalni dobi je mobilna združljivost bistvena za priročne športne stave. Izberite športno stavnico, ki ponuja odzivno mobilno aplikacijo ali mobilnim napravam prijazno spletno mesto. To vam omogoča, da stavite na poti s svojim pametnim telefonom ali tablico.
10. Odgovorno stavljanje
Na koncu dajte prednost športnim stavam, ki spodbujajo odgovorno igranje iger na srečo. Poiščite funkcije, kot so omejitve depozitov, možnosti samoizključitve in dostop do podpornih virov za igre na srečo. Stave naj bodo prijetne in v okviru vaših zmožnosti.
Če povzamemo, izbira prave spletne športne stavnice zahteva natančno preučitev različnih dejavnikov, od ugleda in licenciranja do možnosti stav in storitev za stranke. S temeljito raziskavo in razvrščanjem ključnih meril lahko najdete ugledno in zanesljivo športno stavnico, ki ustreza vašim potrebam in izboljša vašo izkušnjo športnih stav. Ne pozabite staviti odgovorno in uživajte v svojih najljubših športih!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2024
I think I yelled a little bit when I saw this cover a few months ago with its subtitle perfectly aligned with my interests. I thought I was dreaming. I took a screenshot to convince myself. Yep, the thing against queers-in-sports is apparently fascist, I knew that, but exactly how, I could not have explained. I was so, so happy to get an advance copy from NetGalley. This book has given me some answers.
I have done some research from this era, and I appreciate how much effort goes into finding sources to tell a story like this, all the more so given that it happened in multiple countries and languages. I read The Other Olympians slowly, dwelling on every sentence. Now, this story is seared into my brain and is irrevocably card-shuffled with everything else I know about the 1930s. I want to tell everyone to preorder this book — It is time! It will be out in a week! — so I've been blogging it in all the places, like I'm talking about it on Gender Identity Today, and I don't know if I'm talking too much and should be quiet.
Side question: Who is this character Avery Brundage? How is he real? All the nonsense he pulled, on multiple levels, I can barely believe. When I come down from my incredulity, I have to admit, yes, intellectually I know there are men like him. I just try to avoid them.
Avery Brundage aside, this book is part of my identity now.
To everyone who has ever asked: But are trans people valid? Because sports? (unknowingly walking into Chris Rufo's right-wing messaging trap), I would like to quietly hand them a copy of this book, The Other Olympians by Michael Waters, and I hope they read all 368 pages and have a think. The book explains the history of the moral panic over playing sports while being intersex or trans. I didn't know how far back this history went and how extensive the story was.
I keep being amazed by the stories we can tell and how they make sense of our world today. I say "we," but I did not write this. I am just a huge fan. This is an achievement.
Anyone who appreciates historical deep-dives should pick this up. It's enjoyable to read, and it makes its points well, while leaving enough unsaid that readers can draw their own connections.
I have done some research from this era, and I appreciate how much effort goes into finding sources to tell a story like this, all the more so given that it happened in multiple countries and languages. I read The Other Olympians slowly, dwelling on every sentence. Now, this story is seared into my brain and is irrevocably card-shuffled with everything else I know about the 1930s. I want to tell everyone to preorder this book — It is time! It will be out in a week! — so I've been blogging it in all the places, like I'm talking about it on Gender Identity Today, and I don't know if I'm talking too much and should be quiet.
Side question: Who is this character Avery Brundage? How is he real? All the nonsense he pulled, on multiple levels, I can barely believe. When I come down from my incredulity, I have to admit, yes, intellectually I know there are men like him. I just try to avoid them.
Avery Brundage aside, this book is part of my identity now.
To everyone who has ever asked: But are trans people valid? Because sports? (unknowingly walking into Chris Rufo's right-wing messaging trap), I would like to quietly hand them a copy of this book, The Other Olympians by Michael Waters, and I hope they read all 368 pages and have a think. The book explains the history of the moral panic over playing sports while being intersex or trans. I didn't know how far back this history went and how extensive the story was.
I keep being amazed by the stories we can tell and how they make sense of our world today. I say "we," but I did not write this. I am just a huge fan. This is an achievement.
Anyone who appreciates historical deep-dives should pick this up. It's enjoyable to read, and it makes its points well, while leaving enough unsaid that readers can draw their own connections.
May 23, 2024
Very fascinating to see the Nazis to gender inquisition pipeline!
The Other Olympians as an audiobook is a nine-hour history of both women's participations in international sports (leading to their inclusion in the Olympics) and really how precious and personal other people get about what's going on with others. It is a mostly linear story woven together from historical documents and articles of the time (the early 1900s in and around, before and after the rise of Nazi Germany) but also personal letters and essays and accounts from those who lives the lives reported on here.
And outside of the Olympic history, it's stories of sex and gender history -- how gender transition was treated in the 1920s/30s (largely positive!), how the public mind saw these things, all while being very careful to explain to the listener certain terminology and mindsets of the time and how they would not match the more mainstream namings of today, and especially that there is no 100% black and white way to define sex-- not by chromosomes nor physical characteristics nor a multitude of other things.
Very important read to anyone interested in sports, women, LGBT issues, or who even has questions about 'should trans folks compete in competitive sports?' These are not new issues or concerns and gender nonconforming folks (who sometimes are not even trans but may not fit in what someone else may define as a woman or man!) have always been around and always living normal lives.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for review!
The Other Olympians as an audiobook is a nine-hour history of both women's participations in international sports (leading to their inclusion in the Olympics) and really how precious and personal other people get about what's going on with others. It is a mostly linear story woven together from historical documents and articles of the time (the early 1900s in and around, before and after the rise of Nazi Germany) but also personal letters and essays and accounts from those who lives the lives reported on here.
And outside of the Olympic history, it's stories of sex and gender history -- how gender transition was treated in the 1920s/30s (largely positive!), how the public mind saw these things, all while being very careful to explain to the listener certain terminology and mindsets of the time and how they would not match the more mainstream namings of today, and especially that there is no 100% black and white way to define sex-- not by chromosomes nor physical characteristics nor a multitude of other things.
Very important read to anyone interested in sports, women, LGBT issues, or who even has questions about 'should trans folks compete in competitive sports?' These are not new issues or concerns and gender nonconforming folks (who sometimes are not even trans but may not fit in what someone else may define as a woman or man!) have always been around and always living normal lives.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for review!
June 22, 2024
A well-researched, eye-opening look at the early Olympic games, especially those leading up to the 1936 games, with a focus on trans and queer athletes.
Readable, but it is slow going at times. It may not be for most people who just want a general book on the topic of trans athletes of the time period.
That said, the 1936 Olympics are often glossed over and over-simplified in the study of WWII, so it's really worthwhile to dig into the subject here. Many readers won't know about boycott efforts or how cozy US organizers were with the Nazis, before and after the war.
The profiles of the athletes weren't necessarily very inspiring. They were all likely intersex rather than transgender with conditions similar to Caster Semenya, but dissimilar gender identities. It is unfortunate that maltreatment of intersex athletes has led to the abuse of trans athletes in modern times. The roots of that are traced here.
The author made the laudable decision to use the athletes' affirmed names and not reveal their dead names, except where in was linguistically impossible not to do so, which is a decision I hope more authors who write about transgender people will make in the future.
Overall, slow, but fascinating. A necessary read for those interested in the intersection of trans identity and sport, but also a good read for looking at the rise of Nazism from another angle.
Readable, but it is slow going at times. It may not be for most people who just want a general book on the topic of trans athletes of the time period.
That said, the 1936 Olympics are often glossed over and over-simplified in the study of WWII, so it's really worthwhile to dig into the subject here. Many readers won't know about boycott efforts or how cozy US organizers were with the Nazis, before and after the war.
The profiles of the athletes weren't necessarily very inspiring. They were all likely intersex rather than transgender with conditions similar to Caster Semenya, but dissimilar gender identities. It is unfortunate that maltreatment of intersex athletes has led to the abuse of trans athletes in modern times. The roots of that are traced here.
The author made the laudable decision to use the athletes' affirmed names and not reveal their dead names, except where in was linguistically impossible not to do so, which is a decision I hope more authors who write about transgender people will make in the future.
Overall, slow, but fascinating. A necessary read for those interested in the intersection of trans identity and sport, but also a good read for looking at the rise of Nazism from another angle.
November 22, 2023
Thank you to the FSG Team and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
This was a deep, deep, well-researched dive into the 1930s and how the advancement of Nazi politics unraveled the political and sociological ideas about gender and sex in that era. The story follows IOC and women's sports leaders as they developed a modern Olympics along a gender binary, and how that base-level division of sports ultimately led to sex-testing of athletes in a problematic and dangerous way (even today).
The deepest of dives sometimes dragged a bit for me (there were full stories of a few athletes' lives that delved further than I expected, but I learned a lot about each person and got to see how their lives, countries, cultures, and access impacted the way they experienced sex testing in sports.
One thing I really loved was the emphasis on intersex athletes (as we might understand them today, but we didn't then). I've been passionate about how sex testing impacts intersex folks, and I was glad to see it so thoroughly discussed.
My favorite chapters were perhaps the last three, which zoomed out and reviewed the more modern developments as these polices rolled out and were studied.
This was a deep, deep, well-researched dive into the 1930s and how the advancement of Nazi politics unraveled the political and sociological ideas about gender and sex in that era. The story follows IOC and women's sports leaders as they developed a modern Olympics along a gender binary, and how that base-level division of sports ultimately led to sex-testing of athletes in a problematic and dangerous way (even today).
The deepest of dives sometimes dragged a bit for me (there were full stories of a few athletes' lives that delved further than I expected, but I learned a lot about each person and got to see how their lives, countries, cultures, and access impacted the way they experienced sex testing in sports.
One thing I really loved was the emphasis on intersex athletes (as we might understand them today, but we didn't then). I've been passionate about how sex testing impacts intersex folks, and I was glad to see it so thoroughly discussed.
My favorite chapters were perhaps the last three, which zoomed out and reviewed the more modern developments as these polices rolled out and were studied.
March 28, 2024
Waters’s book is meticulously researched and offers a clear, historical narrative at how sex identification and regulation in women’s sports has roots in fascism and sexism, the latter of which was brought up by women who in today’s terms I would describe as TERFs. It looks at the beginning of women’s sports, the Olympics, and queer athletes and how all of them intersected with each other in the early 1900s.
The text is perhaps more academic than some might prefer, with details about events occasionally being pretty dry. However, overall the balance between looking at politics, women’s sports, and the lived experiences of queer folx was done well enough for me. I appreciated most of all the lived experiences context and various primary sources examined, particularly as the attitudes/publications of the time show a more complex understanding of transitioning individuals than is usually presented.
Waters’s work holds historical importance in highlighting, preserving, and examining overlooked narratives, and his research is invaluable in understanding the ongoing, persistent issues facing queer folx, particularly trans and intersex individuals, in women’s sports. I think many will find this book useful and thought provoking.
The text is perhaps more academic than some might prefer, with details about events occasionally being pretty dry. However, overall the balance between looking at politics, women’s sports, and the lived experiences of queer folx was done well enough for me. I appreciated most of all the lived experiences context and various primary sources examined, particularly as the attitudes/publications of the time show a more complex understanding of transitioning individuals than is usually presented.
Waters’s work holds historical importance in highlighting, preserving, and examining overlooked narratives, and his research is invaluable in understanding the ongoing, persistent issues facing queer folx, particularly trans and intersex individuals, in women’s sports. I think many will find this book useful and thought provoking.
June 30, 2024
Wow! I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. Coming in as someone who loves the Olympics, is a lgbtqi ally, but also has fatigue on sensationalized media coverage of trans athletes in sports, I anticipated an interesting read that was a bit of a slog. But these stories Michael Waters details of athletes and the organizers in around the 1930s are truly incredible and his writing captivating. It reminded of the style of Eric Larson’s Devil in the White City, with multiple fascinating characters, all running both parallel and intertwining around a historical event you are somewhat familiar with (in this case the Nazi hosted 1936 Olympics). This book was never boring and always emphatic. I also really enjoyed the authors note at the end where he shares his desire to use this story show that queer history is not linear as it sums up the theme so perfectly.
July 9, 2024
Fascinating look at a time in history that carries eerie echoes of our current cultural attacks on anyone and anything the ruling, or wish to be ruling, men are willing to fling ... supposedly in the name of protecting some groups - almost always women and children, who are not looking for, or in need of, or possibly even actively fighting it - and against some small, possibly almost defenseless (at least against the overbearing agency arranged against them). This attack, in particular, against a very few transgressive people who had no intention or interest in doing the things that they were accused of. The fact that most of the unapologetic genators were nazi agents or sympathizers also has very interesting echoes.
February 16, 2024
Really really interesting deep dive into the treatment of sex/gender in sports, particularly the Olympics - specifically the 1936 Berlin games. That Olympics was the start of a lot of the regulations and fear mongering that are still present today in sports (and outside of sports) for trans, intersex, and non-binary people. The book also covers the rise of Nazi Germany and the influence Hitler had on the International Olympic Committee at that time, when decisions were being made about who was / wasn’t allowed to compete. Very topical issues handled really well and with a lot of detail and care.
Thanks to FSG for this arc and I’m looking forward to the pub date in June!
Thanks to FSG for this arc and I’m looking forward to the pub date in June!
June 7, 2024
I had such a good time reading this book, and learning more about the heavy and intricate ties between sports and queerness. It was a great mix of history and cultural commentary while at the same time being very readable. The writing flowed, and the content is incredibly important to todays world in the weirdest and most valuable of ways. The research that was put together, and the in-depth descriptions that humanize the athletes, while at the same time establishing academic practices for identification and respect of the individuals preferences was so refreshing.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC
June 12, 2024
I loved this book. It is a very compelling, narrative non-fiction history about the rise of fascism, sports, sex, and gender. I learned a tremendous amount about the social and political aspects of sex and gender identity. Michael tells several stories of trans athletes who have largely been forgotten (until now) who were on the margins of the social norms and who competed in sports in the 1930s, leading into the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He describes how Nazi Germany and fascist ideology led to the surveillance of athletes to prevent women who are not considered feminine enough from competing against “true” women.
May 16, 2024
GREAT read. For me, this slice of history feels VERY current.
“The Other Olympians” examines some of the historical events from the last century that help explain the lack of support for women in athletics, the normalization of sexual assault to insure athletes are true “women,” and the undue hysteria around transgender athletes.
I enjoyed this book via audiobook and the narration was outstanding.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley.
“The Other Olympians” examines some of the historical events from the last century that help explain the lack of support for women in athletics, the normalization of sexual assault to insure athletes are true “women,” and the undue hysteria around transgender athletes.
I enjoyed this book via audiobook and the narration was outstanding.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley.
July 5, 2024
Good lord this book is brilliant. Connecting the dots between the current hysteria over trans people (mostly trans women) in sport and the roots of sex testing in the 1936 Nazi-run Olympics, Waters not only did *all* the research but molded it into a narrative that’s so easy to read, always compelling, and moves its story along at just the right pace. (Also, reading about the blossoming of Nazi Germany in the ‘30s, in the USA of 2024, is suffice to say horrifying - but necessary.) A mightily impressive work of scholarship and of writing. I can’t recommend this highly enough.
July 7, 2024
super interesting topic and very well written, michael waters did an amazing job making some of the more dry historical parts and descriptions of meetings intriguing and easy to get through. would highly recommend to anyone interested in queerness both in and outside of sports in the 20s and 30s in europe. also to anyone who thinks sex testing for professional sports makes sense.
my only wish is that more time was spent at the end discussing how we switched from chromosomal sex testing to capping testosterone levels and how that has impacted 21st century athletics
my only wish is that more time was spent at the end discussing how we switched from chromosomal sex testing to capping testosterone levels and how that has impacted 21st century athletics
June 24, 2024
much like Fair Play (which I would also recommend) this book was incredible, but also insanely rage-inducing. I'm not a fan of the parallels between the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the Zionist rhetoric that's cropping up for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. This was more of a cultural history of sex and gender in Western sports, and Fair Play is more of a scientific look, so I think these two books are great to read and have in conversation with each other.
July 11, 2024
I guess my initial review from last week was deleted for including a certain word! Anyway it's very depressing to learn about how sports has been a vehicle for transphobia since the early 20th century, and the state of trans rights would be vastly different today if not for a few certain political movements/ideologies in Europe. If only medical science and the social constructs of gender weren't completely consumed by that certain political ideology.
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