Considerations of Gender and Sex in Figure Skating

[Dr. Jenn]

On a relatively frequent basis, sexual orientation (i.e., one's romantic/sexual/etc. attraction to others) and gender presentation (i.e., how one presents one's gender - ranging from feminine through androgynous to masculine) are discussed with regard to figure skaters, particularly men and boys. However, the constructs of gender (identity) and sex are rarely discussed with regard to figure skating, presumably since the imposed gender binary is taken as the status quo - separate men's and women's singles events, and men and women skating together in pairs and dance events. So, I wanted to start a discussion on the topic of gender and sex to see what other members thought about these topics.

These constructs are typically defined as follows:
-Gender identity: One's internal sense of being a man, woman, or any genderqueer variant, such as pangender, agender, etc.
-Sex: One's biological make-up, involving attributes such as hormones, chromosomes, and secondary sex characteristics - seen as a spectrum ranging from female through intersex to male

Here is a helpful model (gingerbread person) if you are unaware of these terms, or would like to read further: http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com...the-binary-gender-explained-using-continuums/

I recognize that we live in a world that in many ways is still very binaried in all of these aspects, and this is reflected in figure skating, which seems slow to progress away from traditional gender roles and modes of gender presentation (See costume rules as a prime example). However, I had some pragmatic questions to which I did not know the answers:

1) Does the ISU have any sort of rules regarding non-binaried (either by sex or gender identity) individuals? Obviously, it wouldn't matter at a recreational level, but if you want to skate competitively, you would need to be 'slotted into' the binary categories of competitive skating.
2) Similarly, are there are any rules regarding transgender individuals? If so, are these rules contingent upon when one started transitioning (e.g., someone who took puberty-blocking drugs and then hormones, compared to someone who went through puberty and then transitioned)?

I was reminded of the 'gender testing' (which, of course, should have been called 'sex testing', since she identified as a girl/woman; see http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/08/health/athletes-gender-testing/) that was done to Castor Semenya, the middle-distance runner, and wondered if anything like that has ever occurred in figure skating. Presumably, the same arguments would be made regarding men's biological advantage for jumping/etc.

I do a lot of research about these topics in my field (math education), so I wanted to see how they applied to figure skating. I look forward to reading your comments!

 

[dorispulaski]

http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Ice-Skating-Cultural-Meaning/dp/081956642X

You might be interested in tbe above book, Culture on Ice: Figure Skating & Cultural Meaning by Ellyn Kestnbaum.

Figure skating is one of the most popular spectator sports in the U.S., yet it eludes definitive categorization. In this engaging new book, Ellyn Kestnbaum examines figure skating from multiple perspectives: as sport, as performance, and even as spectacle, guiding the reader through both the technical aspects of skating and the sometimes convoluted rules of figure skating competition. By careful readings of skating events at the 1994 and 1998 Olympic Games, she argues that figure skating is a language, one whose meaning is inflected by the culture at large. In particular, she looks at the ways in which race, social class and gender all disrupt, subvert or reinforce the practices of figure skating, and examines the influence of the media in shaping perceptions of the sport. As a skater, skating fan and scholar, Kestnbaum brings a unique point of view to this study, providing not only a history of the skating world but also a feeling for what it is like to be on the ice

 

[Dr. Jenn]

Thanks for the link, Doris! That sounds really interesting.

I found a couple of articles that are relevant to this topic:

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/articl...r-quandary-Debate-rages-on-2749169.php#page-1

http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2014/09/18/op-ed-stop-freaking-out-about-female-intersex-athletes

 

[Pepe Nero]

I recognize that we live in a world that in many ways is still very binaried in all of these aspects, and this is reflected in figure skating, which seems slow to progress away from traditional gender roles and modes of gender presentation (See costume rules as a prime example). However, I had some pragmatic questions to which I did not know the answers:

1) Does the ISU have any sort of rules regarding non-binaried (either by sex or gender identity) individuals? Obviously, it wouldn't matter at a recreational level, but if you want to skate competitively, you would need to be 'slotted into' the binary categories of competitive skating.
2) Similarly, are there are any rules regarding transgender individuals? If so, are these rules contingent upon when one started transitioning (e.g., someone who took puberty-blocking drugs and then hormones, compared to someone who went through puberty and then transitioned)?

I was reminded of the 'gender testing' (which, of course, should have been called 'sex testing', since she identified as a girl/woman; see http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/08/health/athletes-gender-testing/) that was done to Castor Semenya, the middle-distance runner, and wondered if anything like that has ever occurred in figure skating. Presumably, the same arguments would be made regarding men's biological advantage for jumping/etc.

I do a lot of research about these topics in my field (math education), so I wanted to see how they applied to figure skating. I look forward to reading your comments!

Holy heck, I am so glad that there is someone else on GS asking these questions -- and that I happened to sign on this evening (when I haven't looked in months)! Dr. Jenn, I don't know the answers to your questions (or if there are any, currently). Dorispulaski's recommendation is one I thought of too. A couple others are these:

Red Skates, Black Nails by Erica Rand (it's been a couple of years since I read this one; it's more qualitative social science toward the first half, biography (auto-ethnography?) in the second half)

Artistic Impressions by Mary Louise Adams (haven't finished this one yet; postmodern)

In general, I don't gather that there's much academic research on figure skating. I would imagine that on GS, g.kelly is your best source of information here, if she (?) happens to be reading this thread.

I'm really interested (from an academic perspective -- I am in philosophy and women's and gender studies) in ways that figure skating is gender biased. So far, this has been a casual interest for me, but now that I have tenure (woo!) I plan on pursuing it more intently -- e.g., the relative scoring of jumps vs. spins, the amount of time people categorized as "men" are allowed to skate vs. "women," gendered conceptions of "artistry", etc.

 

[dorispulaski]

It appears the ISI might have chosen to be more inclusive than the ISU given that they have formally affiliated with the Gay Games, which include figure skating competitions.
http://www.gg9cle.com/participate/sports/figure-skating/

Here's The Gay Games formal transgender policy, including accreditation
http://www.transgenderlaw.org/resources/FederationGayGamesPolicy.pdf

Their public declaration is here:
http://gaygames.org/wp/sport/sports-policiesd/gender/

The Federation of Gay Games recognizes that gender is a significant way of defining one’s identity, and that the dominant definition of gender as “male” or “female” is pertinent to the world of sport as it is currently organized and practiced.

The Federation of Gay Games also recognizes that athletes may be fluid in their identity. This is taken into consideration in the policy guidelines.

Here's how they deal with certifying the gender of transgendered people.

a) an athlete may demonstrate the right to compete in the gender of his or her choice by providing proof (a letter or certificate from their doctor) that he or she has been undergoing hormone treatment for at least one year.
This requires uninterrupted treatment over the period up to and including the beginning of the Gay Games unless there is a medical reason that may have resulted in short breaks from that treatment. Any breaks in treatment should be outlined in the medical practitioner’s letter.
b) an athlete may demonstrate the right to compete in the gender of his or her choice by providing documentation that he or she has been living as the chosen gender for at least two years. The Host must implement procedures for collecting such proof in a discreet and confidential fashion.
Proof may be provided by legal documents such as a driver’s license, evidence of employment as the chosen or self-identified gender, personal letters, testimonials or statutory declarations, bank accounts, leases, property titles, etc. Considering the challenges that may be involved in changing legal documents in some countries, the accreditation officials may exercise discretion when evaluating the adequacy of the type of documentation provided for proof of an individual’s gender.

They also have

Section 4: Non-gendered divisions/events

but there may be some effect of the mainstream sports organization/federation affiliated with a particular event. In the case of figure skating, that would be the ISI.

If mainstream sanctioning is required or desirable, and is incompatible with the above principles, the requirements of the mainstream sanctioning body will take precedence.

 

[Mathman]

I'm really interested (from an academic perspective -- I am in philosophy and women's and gender studies) in ways that figure skating is gender biased. So far, this has been a casual interest for me, but now that I have tenure (woo!) I plan on pursuing it more intently -- e.g., the relative scoring of jumps vs. spins, the amount of time people categorized as "men" are allowed to skate vs. "women," gendered conceptions of "artistry", etc.

Congratulations!

It would be interesting to do an update of Dr. Kestnbaum's analysis, which I believe was an elaboration of her doctoral thesis in Theater at the University of Wisconsin and in which she critically examines the 1970s feminist view of skating as pretty girls paraded before audiences of appreciative men.

I am especially interested in how the evolution of the ISU judging system relates to this. Supposedly school figures are "masculine" because they represent man conquering nature by carving his initials into the virgin ice. (Hey, I said this was 1970s. ) Somewhere along the line the ISU decided that figure skating was boring and that what we really wanted was pretty skating for girls and fancy tricks for boys.

Now with the IJS the powers that be decided that they went too far in throwing out edge control entirely in favor of graceful movement and skimpy costumes.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Given the fact that it is still, in the 21st century, "Ladies" and "Men" (shall we assume there are no gentlemen in figure skating?), one can only imagine with horror how the ISU would handle ANY LGBT issue. For a sport regarded by many as the Gay Sport Ne Plus Ultra, it is remarkable how rigidly conservative, gender-conformative, and heterosexist figure skating continues to be.

 

[dorispulaski]

What can you say? We even still have skirt requirements here and there.

It was a huge deal when John Kerr was allowed to wear a kilt for a Scots folk dance Original Dance.

I am interested to see how the ISI deals though.

 

[Mathman]

For a sport regarded by many as the Gay Sport Ne Plus Ultra, it is remarkable how rigidly conservative, gender-conformative, and heterosexist figure skating continues to be.

Here is what I think about that. Figure skating does not exist in a vacuum, and sports in general have always lagged behind on social issues. In the United States, who would have thought even two or three years ago that the majority of people in the U.S., on the issue of same sex marriage, would come around to the view, “Well, I personally think men should marry women, but hey, whatever floats your boat.”

Figure skating in the U.S. is tagging along, perhaps reluctantly, by hiring Johnny Weir as a TV commentator. Even three years ago this would have been, “ooo, in your face.” Now it’s, OK, whatever. Nice boa, Johnny.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Ah but did Mr Kerr wear a TRUE Scots kilt (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)? Inquiring minds would like to see the video tape!

Well, as usual, Doris and MM, you're both right. It is ridiculous, the "Ladies" affectation to me most of all. I just find it so condescending. And it's not like there hasn't been a feminist movement in sports since, oh, forty years ago, if not longer.

But I did absolutely CRACK Up at the Nice boa, Johnny comment. To heck with Johnny and Tara--why don't you and Doris do the NBC commentary? Bring in Mrs P to crunch the numbers.

 

[Mathman]

Ah but did Mr Kerr wear a TRUE Scots kilt (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)? Inquiring minds would like to see the video tape!

If I remember correctly, when John was asked what he wears under his kilt he replied, "Traditional." Watch those side-by-side twizzles, John.

http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/ISU+World+Figure+Skating+Championships+Day+rJWhA8om5J4l.jpg

(OK, this thread has taken a wrong turn somewhere.)

 

[dorispulaski]

That must have been before they added a reverse gender lift to the program.

BTW, dance lifts are scored exactly the same if the man lifts the woman or the woman lifts the man.

The rules all refer to "The lifting partner" and "The lifted partner." IMO, consequently, if John revealed anything not G rated while being lifted upside down by Sinead, the team would have incurred a penalty.

(The actual rule prohibits a sustained upside down position by the lifted partner with an angle of greater than or equal to 45 degrees between the thighs.)

 

[Icey]

There is a skater whose features have become masculinized over the years and I have wondered if she took some kind of drugs, or they were given to her without her knowledge, that has caused this. I certainly don't feel comfortable giving her name. I was not surprised when, in recent years, I came across a site, which had pictures of famous women who looked mannish, to find her picture there.

 

[GF2445]

Yeah, this is a very complex issue indeed. Because the ISU would need to figure out how all of this would work.

Lets take the example a male transitioned to female and undertook treatment whouch would most likely include estrogen in order to be hormonally female as well testorerone blockers. Hormonally they would be female, yet anatomically, even if they were transitioning, their bodies will not be the same as a perspn who was born female. And visaversa if a female transitioned into male. What would the ISU do to allow them to compete in a fair playing field that wouldn't disadvantage or advantage them over others. And what about WADA and their rules relating to drugs in sport. What would that entail.

A very thought provoking thread and something that sport needs to think about.

 

[dorispulaski]

I suspect for the ISU that the Constitution of the IOC would trump any preferences of the ISU itself. Because the ISI has no links to the IOC, they can determine their own guidelines.

 

[Dr. Jenn]

Holy heck, I am so glad that there is someone else on GS asking these questions -- and that I happened to sign on this evening (when I haven't looked in months)! Dr. Jenn, I don't know the answers to your questions (or if there are any, currently). Dorispulaski's recommendation is one I thought of too. A couple others are these:

Red Skates, Black Nails by Erica Rand (it's been a couple of years since I read this one; it's more qualitative social science toward the first half, biography (auto-ethnography?) in the second half)

Artistic Impressions by Mary Louise Adams (haven't finished this one yet; postmodern)

In general, I don't gather that there's much academic research on figure skating. I would imagine that on GS, g.kelly is your best source of information here, if she (?) happens to be reading this thread.

I'm really interested (from an academic perspective -- I am in philosophy and women's and gender studies) in ways that figure skating is gender biased. So far, this has been a casual interest for me, but now that I have tenure (woo!) I plan on pursuing it more intently -- e.g., the relative scoring of jumps vs. spins, the amount of time people categorized as "men" are allowed to skate vs. "women," gendered conceptions of "artistry", etc.

Pepe Nero, it's great to 'meet' a fellow academic who is a figure skating fan. I will add my congratulations to Mathman's re: your tenure! Thank you for the book links. I read 'Artistic Impressions' a few years ago, and quite enjoyed it. I hadn't heard of 'Red Skates, Black Nails', but I will try to get my hands on a copy. There really does seem to be a dearth of academic research on the social/cultural side of figure skating (in comparison to biomechanics/etc. papers that include or focus on the sport).

Thank you, everyone, for your input on this topic! I really appreciate hearing from you. Thank you also for the information about the Gay Games' policies. That was interesting to read. As everyone has said, the ISU seems to move at a glacial pace regarding nearly all aspects of figure skating (although I was not aware of the language used for lifts - That is encouraging!), particularly those related to gender/sexuality/etc. Even hockey seems to be progressing around some of these issues: http://www.macleans.ca/society/transgender-rights-activists-celebrate-hockey-canada-settlement/

 

[foruiz]

Thank you Dr. Jenn for starting this thread, this will be very helpful for my class in Sports and Gender this term. :agree:

 

[dorispulaski]

In skating, I do wonder how much of the gender issues are affected by class issues?

The use of "Ladies" recalls the pub sign which went something like this:

Men and Women: Do Not Expectorate on the Floor. Ladies and Gentlemen Do Not Have to be Thus Cautioned.

Figure Skating as a competitive sport had upper class roots. It was even practiced by royalty.

http://figureskating.about.com/od/historyoffigureskating/ss/Ice-Skating-History.htm

http://www.iceskating.org.uk/about/history

The first English club was formed in London - The Skating Club. It became the Royal Skating Club in 1932.





1841

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg was a keen skater. In 1840 he had married Queen Victoria. On February 9th, 1841 he was skating on the lake at Buckingham Palace. The Queen's diary recorded that:

....." The ice cracked , and Albert was in the water up to his head, even for a moment below. In my agony of fright and despair I screamed and stretched out my arm... My Dearest Albert managed to catch my arm and reached the ground in safety."

At that time no male heir had been born and had Albert drowned the whole monarchial succession would have been different and there would have been no Queen Elizabeth ll !!

Here we see Queen Wilhemina & Princes Juliana of the Netherlands skating in 1917
http://figureskating.about.com/od/historyoffigureskating/ss/Ice-Skating-History.htm

Decorum rules for royalty have always been very, very conservative, and anything they were involved in conformed to what was proper for them.

These days, skating is mostly just skating, but some of the old flavor of fancy ballrooms and society events lingers.

 

[gkelly]

I think we're talking about several different things here.

One is the biological definition of male and female for elite competition, about which skating is not different than any other Olympic sport with separate events for males and females.


Another is the presentation of socialized gender within the rules and traditions of the sport. In many ways the rules require less difference between men's and women's singles now than 20+ years ago. But the traditions still remain and we don't see a lot of effort by the athletes to question those traditions. Of course, much of the costuming and presentation of self through movement style that is rewarded for male skaters is considered overly feminine by the culture at large outside the skating world.

One thing I find interesting is that the definition of pair skating as one man and one lady, who must be big and strong vs. small and light respectively to execute the difficult pair skills, is driven by the techniques required for the skills themselves. Whereas with ice dance the technique doesn't demand sex difference but the rules and traditions are more demanding of gender difference.


The ISU rules are only intended to govern international elite competition. They offer some suggested technical rules for lower levels, but many federations continue to make their own rules for developmental levels, and for adult skating.

"Artistic" competition events (whatever the names are, they change and differ between ISI and USFS and other federations) are popular in adult skating, including Gay Games. Even at USFS adult competitions you will sometimes see skaters competing in drag.

 

[phaeljones]

I think we're talking about several different things here.

One is the biological definition of male and female for elite competition, about which skating is not different than any other Olympic sport with separate events for males and females.


Another is the presentation of socialized gender within the rules and traditions of the sport. In many ways the rules require less difference between men's and women's singles now than 20+ years ago. But the traditions still remain and we don't see a lot of effort by the athletes to question those traditions. Of course, much of the costuming and presentation of self through movement style that is rewarded for male skaters is considered overly feminine by the culture at large outside the skating world.
. . .
The ISU rules are only intended to govern international elite competition. They offer some suggested technical rules for lower levels, but many federations continue to make their own rules for developmental levels, and for adult skating.

"Artistic" competition events (whatever the names are, they change and differ between ISI and USFS and other federations) are popular in adult skating, including Gay Games. Even at USFS adult competitions you will sometimes see skaters competing in drag.

The depth and insight of the posts here is truly wonderful. I first really became conscious of binaries a couple of years ago when I read a couple of academic articles, one by Bobby Noble and then another by Henry Rubin, that my nephew had as part of his course curriculum at university. (I don't remember the titles of the articles, just the authors.)

I think that the distinction made by GKelly is one that is very important and cannot be overlooked.

The biological definitions we use seem to be so embedded in our vocabulary because most people seem to use them as anchor for understanding physiology, and the number of people who deviate from the "norm" is perceived to be so small that for most people it is not worth the effort to be compassionate or understanding. The vocabulary is used by society in its actual functioning, including and excluding, but also as a foundation of its common language and prejudiced perception. That seems to cut across class boundaries, generally only challenged by those who have direct contact with people who are different. If that is the case, then it would seem to fit that figure skating seems to be like the other sports in this regard (rightly or wrongly).

Regarding presentation of socialized gender, there is still a normalized vocabulary, but it seems to have greater or lesser variation across class boundaries. (By class, I don't just meant economic but also educational, spiritual, religious etc.) Also, it may be a function of the numbers (ie there are more gay people than there are transgender people) so that society is more forced to deal with the issue. Whether figure skating is slightly ahead of the times or in sync with the times I am not sure, but it is absolutely true that "much of the costuming and presentation of self through movement style that is rewarded for male skaters is considered overly feminine by the culture at large outside the skating world." We all can perceive that and it is probably a major indicator to most people that figure skating has within it a sizeable proportion of participants and fans who are more tolerant. Take just those people as a single group and they are definitely ahead of the times and most of society in regard the extent of the boundaries regarding societal binaries. However, there is caveat to that. The figure skating world, its fans and skaters, is not a homogenous group. That is why Putin gets both attacked and defended on skating blogs for his legislation, it is why a former regime at Skate Canada seemed to favor more masculine skaters as representatives during an Olympic year (a few Olympics ago), it is why some male skaters are attacked even by their own fans in fanfest for wearing what they perceive to be effeminate costumes (not using names . . . no skater should be the subject of those kinds of gender-biased attacks by anyone, least of all his own fans). All of those criticisms and defenses were deemed acceptable comment. (What is acceptable is subjective, I understand that.) Nevertheless, the discussions were necessary and invaluable as an indicator of the diversity of those involved within figure skating. As stated and alluded to, it is still a sport tied to a broader society, and, being international, many varied societies. It does have within it, a very tolerant expressive faction, but that faction will always be subject to attack and negotiation with not only the outside world but other factions within the sport itself.