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Should the women's award go to sex-change candidate?
By Lucy Kellaway
Published: May 22 2008 03:00
The Original Question:
I am judging an award for female entrepreneurs and have just interviewed the shortlisted candidates - most of whom were unimpressive. The best admitted during interview that she had had a sex change two years ago. I feel this disqualifies her as she was a man when she founded the business. I also feel that by not putting this relevant fact on the form she was deceiving us. Therefore I am inclined to rule her out. My fellow judges want to give her the award - which of us is right?Manager, male, 53
LUCY'S ANSWER If you want to be pedantic about it - and it seems that you do - you could start by asking yourself whether she is a woman now. The answer to this is no, she isn't. However she has had operations so that she can pass off as one and be treated as one. This means, surely, that she is eligible to enter this competition.
The next question is whether it matters that she was a man when she started the business. I don't think it does. Evidently she wasn't terribly happy with being one, so I can see no harm in stretching a point.
You say that you give her a black mark for not having been straight about it. I give you a black mark for having had that thought. What did you expect? That she would put full details of all operations she has had on the forms? The point is that she has changed her gender, which is a private matter for her and her doctor.
If you are still unhappy, reassure yourself with the thought that prizes are very silly things and the best person hardly ever wins. At least in this case you won't be disappointing a brilliant born-woman candidate who deserves it, as you say the other candidates were feeble. This makes me think your prize is particularly silly: when I judged a similar award, there were lots of really good women entrepreneurs on the shortlist.
The others judges have already decided that you are a pedant, a meanie or a bigot. They may wonder, as I do, what principle you are defending: do you fear that, if you let this one through, lots of men will have sex changes just to get one of these awards? Give her the award to her and stop worrying about it. Lucy Kellaway
READERS' ADVICE
On her bike In Canada a few years ago a woman who had been a man won the women's downhill mountain bike championship. The woman who came second made a great fuss, believing that the winner had all the advantages of a man's genes and hormones to build muscles. The runner-up was disqualified for unsporting behaviour. The mountain bike community was divided over this issue and probably still is. Consultant, male, 25
Not a woman No amount of surgery or oestrogen can change a male human into a female human. The person remains an XY chromosome type, does not acquire a womb and cannot produce eggs. What can be changed is the person's gender - the way s/he is treated in cultural, social and legal contexts. Hence the technical term "gender reassignment" rather than "sex change". If the implication is that female entrepreneurs need special prizes because they are not as entrepreneurial as males then this candidate should be disqualified. Ex-GP, male, 43
Transwoman Speaking as a TS woman who runs a business, I now come to recognise myself as having been female for many years. Sex reassignment surgery is a major operation and the cultural shift from presenting as male to presenting as female is a major change of lifestyle. If someone can absorb those changes and develop a successful business then they deserve all respect possible. MD, transwoman, 40
Prizes for all If you were handing out an award for British entrepreneurs, would you exclude someone who only became a British citizen two years ago? Your letter is a feeble attempt to hide your intolerance.
That the candidate used to be a man is irrelevant. She is a woman now, so give her the award because she deserves it. Civil servant, male, 40
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
By Lucy Kellaway
Published: May 22 2008 03:00
The Original Question:
I am judging an award for female entrepreneurs and have just interviewed the shortlisted candidates - most of whom were unimpressive. The best admitted during interview that she had had a sex change two years ago. I feel this disqualifies her as she was a man when she founded the business. I also feel that by not putting this relevant fact on the form she was deceiving us. Therefore I am inclined to rule her out. My fellow judges want to give her the award - which of us is right?Manager, male, 53
LUCY'S ANSWER If you want to be pedantic about it - and it seems that you do - you could start by asking yourself whether she is a woman now. The answer to this is no, she isn't. However she has had operations so that she can pass off as one and be treated as one. This means, surely, that she is eligible to enter this competition.
The next question is whether it matters that she was a man when she started the business. I don't think it does. Evidently she wasn't terribly happy with being one, so I can see no harm in stretching a point.
You say that you give her a black mark for not having been straight about it. I give you a black mark for having had that thought. What did you expect? That she would put full details of all operations she has had on the forms? The point is that she has changed her gender, which is a private matter for her and her doctor.
If you are still unhappy, reassure yourself with the thought that prizes are very silly things and the best person hardly ever wins. At least in this case you won't be disappointing a brilliant born-woman candidate who deserves it, as you say the other candidates were feeble. This makes me think your prize is particularly silly: when I judged a similar award, there were lots of really good women entrepreneurs on the shortlist.
The others judges have already decided that you are a pedant, a meanie or a bigot. They may wonder, as I do, what principle you are defending: do you fear that, if you let this one through, lots of men will have sex changes just to get one of these awards? Give her the award to her and stop worrying about it. Lucy Kellaway
READERS' ADVICE
On her bike In Canada a few years ago a woman who had been a man won the women's downhill mountain bike championship. The woman who came second made a great fuss, believing that the winner had all the advantages of a man's genes and hormones to build muscles. The runner-up was disqualified for unsporting behaviour. The mountain bike community was divided over this issue and probably still is. Consultant, male, 25
Not a woman No amount of surgery or oestrogen can change a male human into a female human. The person remains an XY chromosome type, does not acquire a womb and cannot produce eggs. What can be changed is the person's gender - the way s/he is treated in cultural, social and legal contexts. Hence the technical term "gender reassignment" rather than "sex change". If the implication is that female entrepreneurs need special prizes because they are not as entrepreneurial as males then this candidate should be disqualified. Ex-GP, male, 43
Transwoman Speaking as a TS woman who runs a business, I now come to recognise myself as having been female for many years. Sex reassignment surgery is a major operation and the cultural shift from presenting as male to presenting as female is a major change of lifestyle. If someone can absorb those changes and develop a successful business then they deserve all respect possible. MD, transwoman, 40
Prizes for all If you were handing out an award for British entrepreneurs, would you exclude someone who only became a British citizen two years ago? Your letter is a feeble attempt to hide your intolerance.
That the candidate used to be a man is irrelevant. She is a woman now, so give her the award because she deserves it. Civil servant, male, 40
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
