Interdisciplinary care in disorders/differences of sex development (DSD): The psychosocial component of the DSD—Translational research network / Why do some women athletes find themselves having their sex called into question?

Sometimes a woman athlete finds her sex being called into question because she seems so fast or so strong that people suspect she has a more male-like physique, or because her genitals appear to someone who has seen them to be atypical for a female. In such cases, the athlete may have a disorder of sex development (DSD). Because some disorders of sex development can theoretically convey a competitive advantage to a woman athlete, sports officials have been struggling with how to manage this issue.

Is a woman athlete with a DSD really a man? No. Whether you are a man or a woman is a matter of your gender identity, that is, who you see yourself to be.