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Sexed spaces – should the women’s sports category be defined by biological sex, or include transgender women?
Thesis (LLM)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614087954825216 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Kotze, Stefanie |
| author2 | Botha, Henk |
| author_browse | Botha, Henk Kotze, Stefanie |
| author_facet | Botha, Henk Kotze, Stefanie |
| author_sort | Kotze, Stefanie |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (LLM)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132601 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:28.519Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132601 Sexed spaces – should the women’s sports category be defined by biological sex, or include transgender women? Kotze, Stefanie Botha, Henk Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Law. Dept. of Public Law. Sex discrimination in sports -- Law and legislation Transgender athletes Gender identity in sports Transgender women -- Legal status, laws, etc. Sports -- Law and legislation -- South Africa Women athletes -- Legal status, laws, etc. UCTD Thesis (LLM)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Kotze, S. 2025. Sexed spaces – Should the women’s sports category be defined by biological sex, or include transgender women? Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/d74d92e2-a4e5-4db2-b79b-19d7f322ea61 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In view of recent debates and policy developments regarding the participation of transgender women athletes, this study examines the justifiability of defining the women's category in sports based strictly on biological sex. The study aims to reconcile the perceived tension between the rights of biological women to compete based on physiology and the rights of transgender women to participate according to their gender identity. It considers the historical, physiological, legal and theoretical arguments and perspectives that impact current policies and human rights perspectives. The study assumes that the South African legal system is evolving and that respect for diversity requires accommodating conflicting rights and interests based on different viewpoints. It enquires into the meaning and implications of different rights pertaining to sports, as read through the lens of different feminist and queer legal theories. Based on the analyses of these rights and theories, it critically examines the transgender policies of different international sports bodies that form part of the Olympic Movement and makes recommendations that could provide guidance for future policies on transgender athletes' eligibility in women's sports, including, but not limited to South Africa, as required by the Department of Sports, Art and Culture’s Draft Policy on Women in Sport published in 2023. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Na aanleiding van onlangse debatte en beleidsontwikkelings rakende die deelname van transgendervroue-atlete, ondersoek hierdie studie die regverdigheid daarvan om die vrouekategorie in sport streng op biologiese geslag te baseer. Die studie het ten doel om die waargeneemde spanning te versoen tussen die regte van biologiese vroue om op grond van fisiologie te kompeteer en die regte van transgendervroue om volgens hul geslagsidentiteit deel te neem. Dit oorweeg die historiese, fisiologiese, regs- en teoretiese argumente en perspektiewe wat huidige beleide en menseregteperspektiewe beïnvloed. Die studie veronderstel dat die Suid-Afrikaanse regstelsel besig is om te ontwikkel en dat respek vir diversiteit vereis dat botsende regte en belange, gegrond op verskillende standpunte, geakkommodeer moet word. Dit ondersoek die betekenis en implikasies van verskillende regte met betrekking tot sport, gesien deur die lens van verskillende feministiese en queer regsteorieë. Gebaseer op die ontledings van hierdie regte en teorieë, ondersoek dit die transgenderbeleide van verskeie internasionale sports liggame wat deel vorm van die Olimpiese Beweging krities en maak aanbevelings wat leiding kan gee vir toekomstige wetgewing oor die geskiktheid van transgendervroue-atlete in vrouesport, insluitend, maar nie beperk tot Suid-Afrika nie, soos vereis deur die Departement van Sport, Kuns en Kultuur se Konsepbeleid oor Vroue in Sport, gepubliseer in 2023. Masters 2025-06-11T12:31:25Z 2025-06-11T12:31:25Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132601 en Stellenbosch University v, 180 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Sex discrimination in sports -- Law and legislation Transgender athletes Gender identity in sports Transgender women -- Legal status, laws, etc. Sports -- Law and legislation -- South Africa Women athletes -- Legal status, laws, etc. UCTD Kotze, Stefanie Sexed spaces – should the women’s sports category be defined by biological sex, or include transgender women? |
| title | Sexed spaces – should the women’s sports category be defined by biological sex, or include transgender women? |
| title_full | Sexed spaces – should the women’s sports category be defined by biological sex, or include transgender women? |
| title_fullStr | Sexed spaces – should the women’s sports category be defined by biological sex, or include transgender women? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sexed spaces – should the women’s sports category be defined by biological sex, or include transgender women? |
| title_short | Sexed spaces – should the women’s sports category be defined by biological sex, or include transgender women? |
| title_sort | sexed spaces should the women s sports category be defined by biological sex or include transgender women |
| topic | Sex discrimination in sports -- Law and legislation Transgender athletes Gender identity in sports Transgender women -- Legal status, laws, etc. Sports -- Law and legislation -- South Africa Women athletes -- Legal status, laws, etc. UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132601 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kotzestefanie sexedspacesshouldthewomenssportscategorybedefinedbybiologicalsexorincludetransgenderwomen |