By Dr. Michelle Marzullo November 28, 2017
On October 29, 2017, Dr. Lisa Rapalyea spoke to a group of students from the Human Sexuality PhD program and their guests about the history of trans and biologically intersex people in sports. Dr. Rapalyea noted that the controversy surrounding trans and especially biologically intersex athletes is not new, especially in women's sports. There is ongoing debate about athletes competing in female/women sports, especially if they have testosterone levels that are higher than typical biological females. This debate is not as prevalent regarding competition in men/male sports. Dr. Rapalyea reviewed the various standards that groups like the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have used, and then used her recent research to discuss the progress that supports success for these talented athletes.
Dr. Rapalyea teaches a quantitative methods course in our program, and a range of human development courses at UC Davis and California State University at Sacramento. She is also a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC).
