The Waves Don't Discriminate

In this episode, we discuss the issue of fairness in sport, and how a term that sounds neutral is in fact heavily politicised. We start with the definition of fairness in sport generally, and how many factors it does not include, particularly in terms of access. We then turn to discussing fairness in surfing in particular, and how loaded the term is, given that surfing is a subjectively judged sport, and that the playing field is anything but controlled (a key feature of fairness in other sports). The episode ends with Karen going on a rant about the ridiculousness of bans on trans women in sport, and how it really isn't the big issue everyone seems to think it is.

Links below:

IOC policy on trans women - https://olympics.com/ioc/human-rights/fairness-inclusion-nondiscrimination

WSL policy on trans women - https://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/511243/wsl

ISA policy on trans women - https://isasurf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ISA_Transgender-Policy_Updated_3_9_23.pdf

Caster Semenya's book [The Race To Be Myself] is a great resource for learning more about both her journey, and the development of the IOC's position on women with higher testosterone levels.

We received funding for podcast recording equipment from the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, at the University of the Western Cape, as part of the New Imaginaries for an Intersectional Critical Humanities Project on Gender and Sexual Justice, a project funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Thanks to Christine King for our logo design. Check out her book, Stormcaller - you can buy it via her website: https://www.christineking.co.za/.

Karen Graaff is a Research Fellow, Women's and Gender Studies, University of the Western Cape.

Glen Thompson is a Research Fellow, History Department, Stellenbosch University.