Posted on 08/22/2009 7:53:01 AM PDT by traumer
The family and friends of the teenager who struck gold in the women's 800 metres at the World Athletics Championships but now faces sex tests hit out yesterday at claims she could be a man.
And South African Caster Semenya was also backed by her government, who called her the country's 'golden girl' and a role model for young athletes.
Caster, whose rapid improvement over the last year raised eyebrows, won the women's title with a crushing performance in Berlin on Wednesday.
The governing body of world athletics, the IAAF, has asked South Africa to test their star 18-year-old's gender after her muscular physique and extraordinary performances sparked speculation over whether she is really female.
But her proud mother Dorcus Semenya declared: 'I know who and what my child is. Caster is all girl, and no one can change that.'
Speaking from her home in the rural village of Seshego in South Africa's Limpopo province, the mother-of-six added: 'If you ask any of my neighbours, they would tell you that Caster is a girl.'
Here we analyse just how difficult it is to determine gender
At first thought, it seems strange that the South African runner Caster Semenya needs to take a sex test to determine whether she is indeed a woman - or a man, as rumours suggest.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Which one is he/she? On the left?
Wow. They can turn up Caster Semenya’s original birth certificate, but not 0bama’s.
Is she an hermaphrodite or what? If not, and she doesn’t have the male equipment, then what’s the issue?
What is the big deal? Stand her on her head and take a look.
Attractive family..................
Caster is a castrated man. Whatever else it is, there ain't no girl in it.
Paging Crocodile Dundee . . . .
*snort*
After looking at the picture with the article, I decided “that’s not your mother, that’s a man, baby!”
Hi Casta and . . . Sanka? Is that you??
Laugh of the day. Such a mental image! LOL.
If one cares to read this piece of journalism, one could credit the writer with trying to educate as well as inform. Perhaps readers of the article are not in the mood for a bit of a preach here, but I will risk it. Millions of human beings are born and nearly always it comes up as the good Lord intended.
I read where the International Olympic Committee has a certain policy regarding this kind of situation. The athlete comes first, but..... On this kind of testing, if it is found the male characteristics are greater than the female ones, the athelete is declared male. Also vice-versa.
I am glad to see more information on Stella Walsh. I was surprised to learn she had married briefly. She did have male characteristics though. She was registered as female at birth, I believe. We should count ourselves very lucky. IMHO
Caster Semenya looks quite a bit like the, I presume, younger brother. The younger sister you can readily ID as female, so whatever is going on, it apparently isn’t familial, but there could still be kin with similar traits, I suppose. Anabolic steroid abuse from a young age would pretty thoroughly masculinize a girl, as well as various, chromosomal anomalies.
Well, I’m sure all they say about genes and hormones is correct but I’m not sure I buy the bit about ambiguous genitalia. It seems to happen but is it the case in this runner or not? If that’s not the case then she’s a woman, case closed. And, even if the equipment was removed it should be completely straightforward to determine.
In retrospect my post has seemed a bit preachy. I do recognize that it is healthy to try to defuse a situation with a few jokes on the subject.
A variety of views and takes on a subject is alway great on FR.
“You dead, man?”
“The [1936] silver medal was won by Stella Walsh, a Polish sprinter whose true gender was only discovered when he/she was gunned down in the crossfire of a bank robbery in Ohio in 1980.”
Yeah, I guess this person had a strange life, and a strange and tragic end. A poor old lady (or whatever) killed like that, very sad.
Yeah, I guess this person had a strange life, and a tragic end.
I agree and I think part of the problem that the general public has had- and that includes myself is this.
The actual unfortunate undeserved trick of nature (Stella's case)as opposed to those twisted persons who had normal birth. Some of these persons had surgery for their own reasons. They had drugs administered to enhance sexual attributes.
Well, we have all learned something on this matter, which is to the good.
What did the test results say? have they come back?
Interestingly enough if you unscramble the anagram of
Caster Semenya
You get
” A Secret Man, Yes”
Good question here. This I cannot answer but I have the Toronto Star of Friday last. When off their political agenda they have some first class reporting. I will try to be brief here and quote extracts from the:
Toronto Star
Page A2. Cathal Kelly
feature writer
" ..... the IAAF has enlisted an endocrinologist, a gynecologist, a specialist in internal medicine, a psychologist and a general expert in the effort"
Now the incredible (to me).
"Others, like Indian runner Santhi Soundararajan, may have the XY chromosome, and all the outward appearances of a woman. Soundararajan was stripped of her silver medal at the 2006 Asian Games"
".....this process was first envisioned to keep men masquerading as women from entering atheletic events".
"Test results could take weeks, and then must be analyzed. Follow-up tests could be required"
The writer, quoting Dr Robert McCormack, chief medical officer of Canada's Olympic Teams.
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