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Who is Cal Calamia? USADA allows trans runner to compete while taking testosterone which is 'prohibited' for other athletes

USADA permits trans-nonbinary athletes to use testosterone while competing in USA Track and Field events and sets a precedent for more inclusivity

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Cal Calamia, a 27-year-old non-binary transmasculine high school cross-country coach and runner, has been granted permission from the United States Anti-Doping Agency to take testosterone while competing at USA Track and Field events.

Testosterone is usually banned by USADA for its performance-enhancing value. The exemption allows Calamia to participate in the non-binary category and is thought to be the first of its kind in the running world.

Calamia has been taking testosterone since 2019 throughout his gender transition from female to nonbinary transmasculine. In July, USADA had emailed him to inform him of his risk of being sanctioned for the use of the drug, reports the Daily Mail.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Calamia said, "This approval represents a turning point in conversations about trans athletes. To have this approval means I'm allowed to be part of this conversation without being sidelined."

The athlete had advocated for the inclusion of a non-binary division at the San Francisco Marathon in 2022 and was an unpaid consultant for organizers of the nonbinary category at the Boston Marathon, which introduced the new division in April.

Athletes with medical reason for using testosterone allowed to apply for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE)

To apply for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for using testosterone, a non-binary athlete has to prove that they have been diagnosed with gender dysmorphia. Applicants thus need to provide a complete medical history, including psychological records.

Other medications on the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods list that can require TUE verification include stimulants, narcotics, cannabinoids, beta-blockers, diuretics, and beta-2 antagonists.

The landmark decision by the USADA comes after the controversy surrounding the runners going through the opposite transition, as trans-female runners are often thought to have an unfair advantage.

At international athletics events, transgender athletes, who have transitioned from male to female after puberty, were banned from competing in the female category by World Athletics in March.

According to the organization, the decision was made to "prioritize fairness and the integrity of the female competition before inclusion."

The USADA decision has garnered a variety of responses on X

One user tweeted, "If she’s competing in men’s divisions, which is what the open and non-binary divisions essentially are, I don’t care so much."

"If she's only competing in men's, NB and open categories, as a woman I don't really care. However, the men may have something to say about it. Let's just all take drugs and see whose drugged-up state can win 🙄," said another.

Not everyone was nonchalant about the decision as one user wrote, "So much for a level playing field."

Similar feelings were mirrored by a number of other X users as well. "This is now just making a mockery of all anti-doping work, clean sport, and legitimate TUEs. It's all just a sham apparently. The NB category is for dopers," one user said. 

"The precedent has been set, non-binary people are more equal than other people. Trans/ NB identified female Cal Calamia has been granted a therapeutic use exemption by the USADA to take a performance-enhancing substance, testosterone," another user wote on X.