Finishing the race

Over the summer, I participated in four 5K races. First of all, that is a record for me and I felt really good about this accomplishment. I decided that once I started hormones that I would do my best to stay active knowing that my fat would reposition itself, mainly to my belly. My belly didn't need to grow, so I challenged myself. The last three races I entered and finished even earned me a medal!

All of the races used only two gender indicators (male/female) to register for the race. This included the Pride race.

Two of the races used chips for tracking the time we finished the race. Two of them used the bib system where they collected the time we finished at the end tearing off the number on the edge of the bib. The bibs were divided into the two gender indicators by which side we ended on. There were two paths, one for men, one for women.

Since I had registered as a male for all the races, it made sense to me that I would end the 2 races with the bib system in the male path. After the first race under these conditions, the person asked me if I was sure if I was on the correct side, suggesting that I should be on the women's side. I told them that I was aware of my gender identity and that I was on the correct side. While they appeared frustrated with my answer, they added my bib to the male collection.

The second race, later in the summer under the same conditions, ended even better. The person not only suggested that I was a woman and that I was on the wrong side, they wanted to argue with me after I told them that I was indeed very aware of my gender identity and knew exactly what I was doing.

It takes some chutzpah to argue with someone about their gender after they have just finished a race. And what still perplexes me is, why does it matter? You only gave me two choices when I registered. I picked one. I used the same gender indicator when I finished the race. What exactly is the problem?

I have lots of questions.

Why do we gender races?
Who stands to lose, if anything, if races aren't gendered?
Will someone create a race that I can participate in where it doesn't matter what my gender is?

I'm hoping for some lively discussion and hopefully some answers and action to make something I have come to really enjoy, more inclusive not just for me, but for others who may be trans* or gender non conforming.

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