USADA pretends there are sexless runners

How anyone can get a TUE for testosterone if they enter in the nonbinary category

This started out to to be a simple story about what sounded like doping. Runner Cal Calamia, who placed second in the nonbinary category at both the 2022 Chicago Marathon and the 2023 Boston Marathon, told the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times she used testosterone and even made a TikTok video about her last four years on testosterone. This seems ill advised for a runner who podiumed at two World Marathon Majors, supposedly leaders of the sport. Testosterone is banned in and out of competition for both men and women, though in rare instances, males can get a Therapeutic Use Exemption for legitimate medical need. Women cannot. Or at least never have, according to US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

Calamia was born female and competed as a female until 2018 when she lopped off her breasts, changed her pronouns to he/they and her name to Cal, started taking testosterone, and growing facial hair. All of which seems about as binary as it comes unless the default for nonbinary is male. This is going to get pretty pretzelly, so hang with me.

I emailed both the venerable BAA and the Chicago Marathon to ask about their policies that seemed to allow a top finisher to openly use a banned substance, and what implications this might have for other runners. I received this affliction from the Chicago Marathon:

Thank you for reaching out! The Bank of America Chicago Marathon strives to create a welcoming experience for all participants. As a part of our commitment to inclusivity, participants starting in 2022 had the opportunity to select non-binary as a gender identity at the point of registration. While we were excited to introduce the non-binary division, we recognize the opportunity for continued dialogue and learning as we develop best practices related to this and all aspects of the race experience.

Similar from the BAA. I started to suspect they had no policy, and that the nonbinary category was the wild west, the question-free zone where people who were clearly male could say they were not, and anyone could identify as anything and take the drugs necessary to facilitate that fantasy. It seems these prestigious race organizations have succumbed to gender identity ideology without thinking it through, and now their worst nightmares are coming true. The category is attracting grifters and those taking banned substances, but not knowing what else to do, they’re doubling down on the crazy.

Unsatisfied, I turned to the upholders of fairness in sport, those science-steeped experts who brought down Lance Armstrong (got an idea for Lance’s podcast), USADA. A representative responded within 53 minutes saying they’d love to assist with my many questions but everybody was “traveling.” For three weeks. Until I indicated I was airdropping this story on every editor I could think of and some I couldn’t. They came back from their travels quick-like and put together the most horrific assault on logic and human decency I’ve ever endured. I’ve posted their answers to my questions in painful entirety below, and we’ll trudge through it, but the story shifts from Cal Calamia, the diversity darling of the BAA, Chicago Marathon and New York Road Runners, to the fact that USADA has completely swallowed pseudo-science, untested, untestable gender ideology that is considered a joke by legitimate scientists.

Hold on to your head so’s it doesn’t explode, and here we go!

USADA maintains a gold standard anti-doping program that is both inclusive and fair for all athletes under our jurisdiction in accordance with the applicable rules. We do not condone the use of any prohibited substances or prohibited methods without an approved and up-to-date Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) on file, including, but certainly not limited to, the use of testosterone. While we cannot comment on any specific athlete’s situation, as it relates to transgender and nonbinary athletes, we hold them to the same standard as all other athletes in their identified gender categories.

Inclusive? An anti-doping program is one of the few things you’d actually want to be inclusive of trans identified and sexless people, so hurrah for that, but sadly, that’s just code for Once again, trans and nonbinary people can do whatever they want all the time.

Right up front, USADA seems to be saying Cal Calamia has a TUE for testosterone. More on that below.

Importantly, event organizers and sports organizations sanctioning events are responsible for determining eligibility criteria for participants, including any relevant transgender and nonbinary eligibility and category policies. USADA is responsible for administering anti-doping rules, as they pertain to prohibited substances and methods, including an athlete’s need for any Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) under the rules

“Eligibility criteria” is a bit strong for “pinky swear.” They make it sound like the nonbinary category is robustly vetted. It’s not. Calamia checked off a box. The winner of the Boston Marathon nonbinary category has raced in male, female and nonbinary categories. By offering a nonbinary category, race organizations are relinquishing any grasp on reality, and must accept whatever identity the entrant tells them. Apparently, USADA is saying the race organization—BAA or Chicago Marathon—tells them what sex, or lack thereof, the athlete is. Their job is to play along, no matter how false they know this information to be.

Are podium finishers in the nonbinary category of major marathons drug tested as are M/F podium finishers?

Under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) International Standard for Testing and Investigations (ISTI), there is no absolute requirement to test podium finishers in all event categories. And doing so is not necessarily the best anti-doping strategy. That said, the ISTI does not exempt nonbinary category runners from testing, and they are therefore subject to the same anti-doping rules as competitors in the male and female categories. In the U.S., unless USADA selects the event for testing under its national anti-doping program, the event organizer or the sanctioning body for the event are responsible for contracting in-competition testing.

I find it almost impossible to believe the top three men and women at Boston, Chicago, and NYC would ever not be drug tested, but okay. But this leaves a convenient out for USADA if there’s something in the nonbinary category they very much don’t want to find.

• Can female people who enter the nonbinary category receive a TUE for testosterone?

  • We understand that female athletes are not eligible for the nonbinary category. Only those who identify as nonbinary – neither male nor female – are eligible for the nonbinary category. These eligibility determinations are ultimately up to the event organizer and/or sanctioning body for the event. That said, all athletes, regardless of sex or gender identity, subject to the World Anti-Doping Code, can apply for a TUE for any substance if used for legitimate medical reasons, including testosterone. As mandated under the WADA International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (ISTUE), an independent process exists whereby any athlete may apply for a TUE and have their application evaluated by an independent TUE Committee of physicians. Each application is evaluated on a case-by-case basis according to its own merit. Depending on the competition level of the athlete, the TUE application may be evaluated by USADA (national-level athletes) or an International Federation (international-level athletes). Athletes may appeal any decisions as per the applicable rules. One of the key criteria is whether there will be a performance enhancing benefit if the TUE is granted. If there is one, then it will not be granted or will be limited to certain categories or only for certain uses.

Oh ffs! There is no one on this planet who is the result of a romantic collaboration between two nonbinary people. This is insulting. Stop it. By USADA logic, Calamia is neither male nor female because she said so. All those obviously female bodied people named Katie and Alice and Callie in the nonbinary category are not female, they’re nonbinary. A third sex. Or no sex. They ticked off the nonbinary box on their entry, and Chicago Marathon told USADA and they all pretended this is possible. But USADA grants TUEs for testosterone on the basis of sex, not gender identity. Why would a nonbinary person who was neither male nor female need testosterone? Are they pretending Calamia is not female because she entered the nonbinary category? Is there an instance when testosterone does not enhance performance? To be clear, race organizations, USADA, and Calamia herself know what sex she is. It’s insulting to propagate this nonbinary lie.

Can female people who run in the female category receive a TUE for testosterone?

Yes, but USADA has never approved one. Cisgender females who compete in the female category can apply for a TUE for testosterone, but it would be exceedingly rare for it to be approved based on current medical practice.

USADA bows to gender ideology, which is worrisome for a scientific organization. Women are not cis. USADA admits there has never been an instance when a female needs testosterone, so they pretend to believe that Calamia is not female. A female using testosterone in the female category is doping, but a female in the nonbinary category who uses testosterone is granted a TUE and is held up as a pioneer in the sport. By the by, Calamia recently crowed about a 3 -minute PR at Bay to Breakers. Yay, hard work!

• Can males running in either NB or male categories receive a TUE for testosterone, and if so, under what circumstances?

  • Here again, it is our understanding that cisgender males are not eligible for the nonbinary category. For cisgender male or transgender male athletes in the male category, TUEs may be granted for testosterone in accordance with the applicable rules. WADA guidance documents are available to assist in evaluation of these TUEs.

Again with that “it is our understanding.” That’s USADA’s gutless way of shirking their responsibility. This whole con depends on their pretending they don’t know exactly which of the two sexes athletes are.

• Cal Calamia thinks of herself as transmasculine/nonbinary (leaving a lot of options open) but science says she is and always will be female. What sex does USADA see Calamia as?

• We cannot comment on any specific situation. We do not determine how an athlete identifies themself.

The only medical need for testosterone that Calamia could claim is to maintain the characteristics of maleness. Because she’s female. If she was male/nonbinary like Jake Caswell, she would not need testosterone. (Although out of generosity, I offer up a way that anyone, male or female, can get a TUE below). By granting her a TUE, USADA is both tacitly admitting she is female and that the nonbinary category is, in fact, populated by male and female people. Regardless of “eligibility criteria.”

• Calamia told the San Francisco Chronicle she doesn't enter as male because she takes testosterone, so is the NB category the doping-accepted category?

• No, there is no doping accepted category under the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), as that would be unfair to athletes and against the rules.

Race organizations, and their partners in groveling, USADA, are used to giving trans and nonbinary runners a heckuva lot of leeway. Here’s the formula for getting a TUE and juicing to your heart’s content. And friends, this works for any gender: Check off the nonbinary box on the entry. That’s key. Start using testosterone and apply for a TUE because you’ve been fatigued lately (if you’re male, but shhhh, keep up the charade about nonbinary) or to align with your male identity (if you’re female). You’re golden.

• Regardless of their gender identity, nonbinary runners are still either male or female. Calamia got tons of press in both Chicago and Boston, and was recently on a panel discussion of nonbinary runners sponsored by the NYRR. If it’s okay for Calamia to take an illegal substance in the NB category, why not anyone else?

• Under the applicable rules, no athletes – cisgender, transgender, gender-diverse or nonbinary – are permitted to take prohibited substances without an up-to-date, valid TUE recognized by the relevant Anti-Doping Organization, such as USADA and/or an International Federation depending on their level and the level of the competition.

Alas, my original suspicions are correct. The nonbinary category is the wild west, a question-free zone where anyone can misrepresent themselves, and get permission to use banned substances from the very agency tasked with preventing it. Calamia is only one high profile individual who flooded her social media with evidence of her testosterone use. Certainly there are others who aren’t on the podium, who aren’t advertising the fact, who may not have bothered to apply for a TUE. The nonbinary category has already proven attractive to those wishing to earn money the easy way; now it’s looking like a destination for those who would dope with impunity.

By swallowing gender ideology, USADA has divorced itself from reality to the point where they can no longer do their job. It’s sad that prestigious organizations like the BAA, the Chicago and NYC Marathons, and USADA are being played for fools by gender identity ideology. It’s even sadder they’re bringing the running community down with them.