By HPRS Race Director John Lacroix
In 2017, four years ago, I created a black and white policy regarding transgender athletes. There were no meetings, no HPRS advisory board at the time, just a race director continuing to do what he felt was right and just. I immediately placed that policy in the official policies of HPRS and it reads like this:
TRANSGENDER ATHLETES:
HPRS is a LGBTQ safe space and we do welcome and encourage participation in our events by all athletes regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Any event that is permitted by the United States Forest Service/US Government (USDA) strictly prohibits the discrimination of athletes based on gender and sexual orientation. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status.” Transgender athletes will be listed as the gender they registered for the race, which is typically as they personally identify.
I didn’t stop there. I knew that I had to take it a step further seeing as most of the debate surrounding the issue of Transgender Athletes revolves around results. You know.. “the race.” So I added to our results policy:
RESULTS:
HPRS will do everything within our power to ensure that race results are posted within 72-hours of completion of a race. Once results are posted, runners have one week (7 days or 168 Hours) to submit an email to HPRS at [email protected] to have their results corrected in the event of an error. We will only consider incorrect finish times (more than 5 minutes off), spelling of your name, your gender, or distance run; as “an error.” Furthermore, HPRS is a LGBTQ safe space and we do welcome and encourage participation in our events by all athletes regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Transgender athletes will be listed as the gender they registered for the race, which is typically as they personally identify. As stated above, Transgender athletes will be listed as the gender they registered for the race, which is typically as they personally identify.
[UPDATE: On August 19th HPRS has decided to adjust the above policy on results. Moving forward, during the registration process runners will be asked if they would like their gender identity listed in the results, or not. If a runner selects “No,” then the gender column next to their name in the results will be left blank. If they select “Yes,” then an abbreviation for their selected Gender Identity will be provided.]
I’m still a subscriber to The ULTRA List, a e-mailing list discussion group that covers the topic of ultramarathons. The software is hosted at Dartmouth University, but last I knew the list was owned by Dave Combs and Joe Jurczyk, but I feel like the list is being moderated by different individuals at current. Last week, a discussion transpired on that list focused solely on Transgender Athletes. I’m not going to rehash that conversation here, but I will tell you that the conversation that was had is one of the lowest moments for the sport of ultramarathon running. What an incredibly dark week as the doors and windows were opened wide, allowing the sun to shine on the ignorance that continues to plague us, and prevent us as a sport from moving in that one direction… forward.
It should come as no surprise that we live in a society where we seem to disagree on most everything. Some tout their freedom of speech as their great defender towards making ignorant, hateful, and discriminatory statements to others or about others. Some people are experts in everything when the reality is that they’re experts in nothing. We all know someone who read an article in the NYT and now claim to be an expert in the related field. Some use their freedom of religion as their shield behind their unruly swords. At the end of the day, the question that isn’t being asked is, “Is it necessary?”
Is it necessary to know someone else’s political beliefs? Is it necessary to know someone else’s religion, their race or nationality, the details of their mental health, who they’re dating, if they prefer smooth peanut butter or chunky, or.. what XY chromosomes they carry or how they choose to identify? If you really think about that question, “Is it necessary?” I believe that the answer is a resounding “No. No it’s not necessary. None of that is ANY of my business. Nor does it affect my run.”
As a race director I acquire special use permits for many events through The United States Forest Service, which is a part of the USDA. In every single permit I acquire is this statement:
- Nondiscrimination (B-1)
The holder and its employees shall not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex (in educational activities), national origin, age, or disability or by curtailing or refusing to furnish accommodations, facilities, services, or use privileges offered to the public generally. In addition, the holder and its employees shall comply with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended.
To go even further, on their website: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Part of my application process for a 5-year permit for one of my events, recently required me to go through a Title IX assessment that ensures HPRS, and all my policies, qualify under these provisions of The USDA and USFS, and yes… we passed. As a business owner I dove into the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX but not until long after I wrote our policy on Transgender Athletes 4 years ago.
I have already jumped off into the deep end with this article, but I just wanted to point out that seeing as a majority of Ultra events are held on federal lands, now is as good a time as ever to highlight what is required as a special use permit holder. As race directors we are federally mandated by our permits to not discriminate against our participants based on their sex, sexual orientation, of genetic information.
Here comes those arguments that are made time and again,
“But it doesn’t mention changing one’s sex after they’re born.”
“It doesn’t mention gender identity.”
“A qualified physician determines your gender at birth and it goes on your birth certificate, that doesn’t just change.”
No.. it doesn’t mention changing one’s sex after they’re born, and a doctor does indicate your gender on your birth certificate. But no one is testing your chromosomes on your birthday. While many seem to believe that we’re inherently either xx or xy chromosomed and that’s the end of it… their ignorance shows like a billboard in Times Square as they fail to understand that some women have XY chromosomes, which the ignorant feet stomp stating that “XY is indicative of a male, period.” There are also individuals with 3 chromosomes; you can have xxy or xyy and guess what? In all these situations, do you know how much business it is of yours what chromosomes a human being has? NONE.
I know we all have more examples, many more examples, that highlight the lengths that people will go to in defending their position on why men need to remain in the race with other men, and only women belong in the race with other women, and how gender is not fluid. Maybe you’re one of the individuals who have one of those arguments. I want to remind all of these individuals about that age old saying in our sport to “Run your own race.”
Once these individuals can’t make any headway in talking about the science of sex, they turn to my policy. Now… I’ve gone so far as saying that anyone who wants to debate this policy, or who makes insensitive or bigoted comments in regard to this policy, will be banned for life from all HPRS events. As one may be able to guess, the conversation then immediately turns to my being a hypocrite, it turns to how I am discriminating against others based on their political and/or religious views and beliefs… when I’m not.
What I’m telling you as a private business owner is, “My race, my rules.” I’m telling you, “This is our policy and we’re not debating it. It’s here. It’s live. It’s not changing.” I’m telling you, “I don’t actually care at all about your political or religious beliefs, just like I don’t actually care about anyone’s sexual identity.” And why don’t I care? Because it’s none of my business. As a private business owner, I still have the right to provide or deny service to anyone I choose, so long as I am not discriminating against you as mentioned by The USFS and USDA. Telling you that we’re not going to debate, is not discrimination. It’s me telling you, I don’t care about your religious or political points of view in any way shape or form. Telling you that we’re not going to tolerate insensitive or bigoted commentary, is not discrimination. It’s me telling you, I don’t tolerate bigoted or insensitive points of view on this topic, we don’t tolerate discrimination in any form at HPRS.
Look, I wrote a policy that I felt was fair-and-just to the human race, and not solely to “The Race.” At the end of the day, which matters more: The Race? Or The Human? In my world, it will always be the human.
While others in our sport are focusing on splitting their field by 50% Male and 50% Female, we continue to be ignorant by ignoring that not everyone identifies as Male, not everyone identifies as Female, and not everyone identifies how you demand they identify. Gender identity is fluid in our society. The ignorance here, is failure to see and accept that by splitting your field 50/50, you’re demanding that participants identify as one or the other and only as one or the other. It is not inclusive. So while some race directors engage in the struggle to bridge the gender gap, the are ignorant to the fact that they further exacerbate all issues around gender as a whole.
At HPRS we don’t have a podium, we don’t have age group awards or even gender awards. We don’t do prize money, we don’t give comp entries simply because someone is “elite.” So the next question I am typically asked is, “So if you don’t have a podium, no age group awards, no prize money… are your races even a race?” My explanation usually turns to the following:
1.) The Race Doesn’t Matter
Friends, it’s running. 99%+ of us in this sport aren’t qualified or talented enough to even care about prize money, nor are we going for “the win.” We’re just running. No one is going to remember that you placed 1st in your age group let alone if you placed 3rd. Hardly anyone in our sport can recite the last 5 winners of the Leadville Trail 100, and even fewer can name who won the last 5 Pennsatuckey Two Step and Tango 50k (Fictional race… you get the idea). The word “race” seldom even appears in the name of our events, instead we defer to “Endurance Run.”
I want to ask… How can you possibly measure yourself against the performance of others on ultra day when the variables at play are different for each and every individual? Hell, I could experience a different race in a 100-mile compared to the front runners if I am in the back of the pack. While the front runners complete a course under dry conditions and no weather related issues, someone in the back of the pack could endure torrential rains and shoe sucking mud. In this case, the front has run an entirely different race than the back and therefore, the results of “the race” are skewed.
We all have different amounts of time to train. We all have different strengths and weaknesses as athletes. We all subscribe to different diets. Some runners use Zofran for nausea, some use marijuana and/or CBD. For some the weather is grand, for others it’s absolute garbage. For some there’s plenty of food and water at the aid tables, and for others the event has run out of water and packed things up early because of how slow you are. How on earth, can you call it a fair “race” when we’re all experiencing so many different variables.
It’s an endurance run. It’s an adventure. It’s an experience. Most of us… MOST of us, are out here to simply belong. To enjoy the mountains and trails with likeminded adventure seeking individuals. “The Race” is not holy or some end all be all that we all subscribe to. Like anything else.. the race, the run, means different things to different people. At HPRS we don’t focus on the race, we focus on the community. We focus on Humans BEING HUMAN.
2.) We’re 100% Human
Which brings me to #2. Male, female, trans, non-binary.. however it is that you identify, you are 100% Human in the eyes of HPRS. We encourage you to celebrate your faith, political viewpoints, gender identity, sexual orientation, reasons for running, on your own terms and in your own way. Yes, we are also asking you that you not impose your beliefs on others because again, it’s none of our business. We are 100% human and we strive to treat all humans as inherently human.
CHANGES MOVING FORWARD
1.) Gender Identity
Effective immediately, when registering for an HPRS event your gender identity has shifted to the questions section of the registration process for our events. There are over 64 terms that describe gender identity and expression. At HPRS, we think it would be a bit much to offer all 64 as options, so we’ve decided to offer those which we feel provide an opportunity for all to closely identify with their gender without feeling left out. HPRS has carefully selected these gender options through extensive research and discussions within the LGBTQ+ community.
Runners will have the following options to choose from: Male, Female, Non-Binary, Genderfluid, Gender-Expansive, Trans, and Agender.
2.) Results
Moving forward HPRS will no longer list one’s gender in our results. Our results will now only highlight a runner’s place, bib #, first name/last name, city, state, country, finish time, and age. We will continue to not have a podium or age group awards and continue our tradition of treating all runners as equals. We strongly believe that one’s gender identity is nobody else’s business but their own.
Again, we will not debate these policies. Your political views, religious beliefs, and related topics are not our concern or business. Humans participating in an inclusive sport is our business. HPRS will not tolerate insensitive or bigoted commentary on these subjects. As a private business we have the right to not provide service to individuals who do not agree to HPRS policies and procedures, all of which you agree to during the registration process for our events. It’s time we as a sport look past “the race” and look more towards “the experience.” There is much that we can accomplish together, so long as we remember the things that matter, and forget the things that don’t.
In Conclusion
HPRS firmly believes that what matters most is not “the race,” but “the human.” Just as we were the first race series to have a black and white policy for transgender athletes, we are now the first race series in ultrarunning to offer runners more than 3 gender identity options. Gender Identity is not something that is assigned at birth. It is defined as “an individual’s personal sense of having a particular gender.” It is how you internally interpret the chemistry that composes you. Previous gender pronouns are a part of a Cis generated social construct that not everyone subscribes to or is required to subscribe to. We recognize the importance of this issue in our mission to create a more inclusive sport.
For more information on Gender Identity, we encourage you to look at The Genderbread Person and a great starting point.