A non-binary runner has been granted permission by USADA to take testosterone while competing in track and field events in the US.
Cal Calamia, 27, is a non-binary high school cross country coach and runner in San Francisco.
This week he received confirmation from the United States Anti-Doping Agency that he was cleared to compete in USATF events despite taking testosterone – a substance typically banned by USADA because of its performance-enhancing value, the reported Washington Post.
Calamia has been taking testosterone since 2019 during his gender transition from female to non-binary transmasculine. In July, he was informed by USADA via email that he was facing sanctions for his use of the performance-enhancing drug.
The exemption, which gives him the opportunity to compete in the non-binary category, is believed to be the first of its kind in the running world.
Cal Calamia – a non-binary runner – received permission from USADA to take testosterone while competing in track and field events in the United States
Calamia, 27, has been taking testosterone since 2019 during his gender transition from female to non-binary transmasculine
The runner first advocated for the addition of the non-binary category at last year’s San Francisco Marathon and served as an unpaid consultant to the non-binary category organizers at the Boston Marathon – which introduced the new division in April.
Calamia told The Washington Post: “This approval represents a turning point in the conversation about trans athletes.” “Having this approval means I can be part of this conversation without being sidelined.”
USADA approval was granted because athletes who have a medical reason for using testosterone are allowed to apply for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE).
It never occurred to Calamia that using gender-specific drugs could be considered doping or that he would have to apply for a waiver to compete in a division specifically for non-binary people.
Part of the application for a medical exemption for testosterone use by non-binary people requires proof that a diagnosed case of gender dysmorphia was the reason for taking the potentially performance-enhancing drug. This means that applicants are required to provide a complete medical history, including psychological documentation.
Calamia said the first question on the TUE form asked applicants whether they were male or female – he said he ticked neither box.
Other medications included on the Prohibited Substances and Methods List that may require TUE review include stimulants, narcotics, cannabinoids, beta-blockers, diuretics, and beta-2 antagonists.
In July, he was informed by USADA via email that he was facing sanctions for his use of the performance-enhancing drug
Calamia advocated for the addition of a non-binary category at the San Francisco Marathon last year and also worked as an unpaid consultant to create a non-binary category at the Boston Marathon
This groundbreaking decision by USADA comes after controversy over whether runners go through the reverse process, as trans runners are often thought to have an unfair advantage.
Research published by the government suggests that trans athletes have several physiological advantages over biological women, even after medical transition.
Last August, the National Institutes of Health quietly released a study that suggested that early testosterone exposure means trans women have at least eight physical and mental characteristics that could give them an advantage in sports — even if they make the transition relatively early .
The results showed that trans women have greater muscle mass and bone density, which contribute to strength, power and durability, larger lungs and higher oxygen levels, which promote endurance, and increased connections in the brain, which are responsible for spatial awareness are what might be helpful mobility.
Men transitioning to women are often prescribed feminizing drugs that block the production of testosterone, one of the main reasons for men’s physiological advantages over women in athletics.
But most of the effects caused by testosterone cannot be reversed with hormone therapy, according to the study published by the NIH.
A study of 98 trans women showed that although testosterone levels in trans women fell below the previous male level, almost all participants had testosterone levels above the average female range.
This week, a transgender high school sophomore in Maine was criticized for participating in the girls’ 5K cross-country competition despite competing as a boy last year.
Soren Stark-Chessa, a student at the private Maine Coast Waldorf School in Freeport, placed 172nd in the district in the boys competition as a freshman.
Over the last year, Stark-Chessa has changed and now, as a sophomore, competes in girls’ competitions – where she places fourth. Last Saturday, Stark-Chessa placed fifth at the Maine XC Festival of Champions in Belfast.
Calamia said the first question on the TUE form asked applicants whether they were male or female – he said he ticked neither box
USADA approval was granted because athletes who have a medical reason for using testosterone are allowed to apply for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE).
As Stark-Chessa sprinted to the finish in a time of 5:51:3, he heard a person yell, “That’s how you cheat, bro!”
In addition to runners, other trans athletes have also faced controversy over the potential superiority afforded them by male biology and testosterone.
Female college athletes at a Virginia university held a news conference Thursday after being forced to swim with a transgender woman.
The Roanoke College women’s swimming team says it feels abandoned by its university and national officials after a former member of the men’s team joined its team last month. The case is reminiscent of that of Lia Thomas, who last year became the first trans athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship.
At an event with Riley Gaines and the Independent Women’s Forum, the team demanded that the NCAA and USA Swimming no longer allow transgender women to participate in women’s sports.
Sophomore Carter Satterfield said, “We call on the NCAA to protect female athletes and give us fair play – in every sport.” “We call on US Swimming to recognize that girls at all levels deserve to know that they are valuable enough to maintain a fair race.”
Transgender women were banned from competing in the women’s category at international athletics events.
The decision was made by World Athletics in March to “prioritize the fairness and integrity of female competition over inclusion.”