OutSports.com – by Cyd Zeigler jr.
The story of Sarah Gronert has been at the back of my mind for a while, and a new Advocate article has finally spurred me to post about her. She’s an intersex (the I in LGBTQQI) player who has been cleared to play on the WTA Tour. The case is a first of its kind in women’s tennis, as far as we know. Years ago, Rene Richards’ case established that the U.S. Open essentially had to allow a male-to-female transsexual to play after gender-reassignment surgery and some other stipulations. This case is similar but different: Gronert is female and was born with genitalia of both sexes. The WTA already has rules (thanks in part to Richards) that mandated she must be able to play because she has female chromosomes. Plus, the battle Richards had to wage to win her right play was 10 times as difficult as Gronert’s battle.