From September, World Athletics will introduce a new barrier for elite female athletes: mandatory genetic testing.<\/p>\n
Under the latest regulations, women must now prove the absence of the Y chromosome to be eligible for international world-ranking female competitions.<\/p>\n
While presented as a matter of fairness, these rules reveal a disturbing, growing trend around the world. One that reduces womanhood to a narrow set of biological traits; policing bodies and eroding rights.<\/p>\n
World Athletics\u2019 new rules, explained <\/p>\n
From 1 September 2025, World Athletics will require athletes to pass a one-time test for the SRY gene, typically found on the Y chromosome, to compete in the female category for world-ranking events.<\/p>\n
This follows World Athletics\u2019 2023 decision to ban trans women who\u2019ve undergone male puberty and impose strict testosterone suppression rules on athletes with differences in sex development (DSD).<\/p>\n
World Boxing introduced similar mandatory sex testing in May 2025, resulting in Algerian Olympic boxer Imane Khelif<\/a> being barred from competition until she undergoes the test.<\/p>\n Who gets targeted? Not men.\u00a0 <\/p>\n These tests target women, but more acutely women with DSD and trans women whose bodies do not conform to rigid definitions of sex.<\/p>\n There is no equivalent genetic policing of male athletes. No testing for testosterone ranges or chromosomal composition in male athletes. If a male naturally has high testosterone, he is celebrated.<\/p>\n The system assumes male variations are \u201cnormal\u201d while ignoring variation among women\u2019s bodies. It means certain women must \u201cprove\u201d their identity, while men are automatically accepted.<\/p>\n Gender policing is a slippery slope <\/p>\n These regulations reflect a deeper discomfort with bodies that challenge traditional sex norms.<\/p>\n History shows that when institutions target the most marginalised, broader attacks on women\u2019s rights and bodily autonomy often follow.<\/p>\n Legal scholars and medical professionals have highlighted how \u201csex verification\u201d policies often extend state control over bodies, especially for women, queer people, and people of colour.<\/p>\n In the U.S., for example, right-wing lawmakers have increasingly bundled anti-trans bills with legislation restricting abortion, censoring sex education, and undermining broader bodily autonomy\u2014revealing a coordinated effort to control and punish gender and sexual diversity.<\/p>\n What kind of womanhood is being protected? <\/p>\n This isn\u2019t about fairness, it\u2019s about enforcing a narrow ideal of womanhood: one that is white, cisgender, non-intersex, and compliant.<\/p>\n These tests don\u2019t just exclude. They humiliate. They tell athletes that their performance, hard work, and identity don\u2019t matter. Not unless they fit the mould of what a woman should be.<\/p>\n Khelif, Semenya, and others have faced invasive scrutiny, online abuse, and threats to their careers\u2014not because they cheated, but because their bodies defy \u201ceasy classification\u201d.<\/p>\n When sporting bodies enforce genetic definitions of womanhood, they set dangerous precedents for society at large.<\/p>\n These rules teach us that policing gender is acceptable, that medical privacy is conditional, and that equality is secondary to comfort. And\u00a0as history shows, when rights are taken from the most marginalised, they rarely stop there.<\/p>\n So, even those who\u2019ve never felt their identity questioned should take heed: when institutions decide who counts as a \u2018real woman,\u2019 no one is safe from scrutiny.<\/p>\n For the latest LGBTIQA+\u00a0Sister Girl and Brother Boy\u00a0news,<\/a>\u00a0entertainment,<\/a>\u00a0community stories<\/a>\u00a0in Australia, visit\u00a0qnews.com.au<\/a>. Find us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n