According to news reports, gender tests ordered by the IAAF for the South African 800 meter world champion, has determined that technically she’s a hermaphrodite. The tests found that Ms. Semenya has internal males testes, the male sex organ that produces testosterone, the hormone that is responsible for building muscle, producing body hair and a deep voice. The tests also revealed that she has no womb or ovaries. Depending on the reports you read, the IAAF may or may not strip Ms. Semenya of the gold medal she won, however they are certain that the IAAF will disqualify her from future events.
Hopefully this will be the beginning of the end of this controversy for Ms. Semenya, however I doubt it. This whole affair is no longer about her as she has become of a “pawn” in this circus. The results, if true, has political, social as well as international implications. Although, I may now have to reconsider my position that the gender test by the IAAF was racially motivated, my support for Ms. Semenya hasn’t wavered. In fact, I am proud of the way this African sister has handled all the controversy… with dignity and class.
Interesting post by brotherpeacemaker: “South Africa Is Ready To Defend Caster Semenya”
afrospear.wordpress.com 
The one valuable lesson from this whole thing is a good discussion on what it means to be a man or a woman. There is a blended shade between the two ends. Caster falls on the male side of that line biologically. How she views herself and wants others to view her is only her own business.
As for sports, if we are going to have “men’s” and “women’s” sports, having a bright line to separate “men” from “women” seems reasonable as long as there are procedures and policies in place that are applied consistently. I believe it was in this case, though some wish it had been done either more quietly or less depending on their views…
“…results, if true, has political, social as well as international implications.” I’d love to hear more on this…
I was hoping it weren’t true…Oh well!
testes, womb, and no ovaries?! So she’s never gotten her menstrual cycle but her family stood beside her and proclaimed that she was 100% female?! Daddy’s little girl? I told you all that this wasn’t about race or the traditional ideal of femininity as much as it was about a woman with unmistakable male attributes. Sure is quiet in here….asa? brotherpeacekeeper?
Sure it’s quiet… empty drums makes the most noise… so Yvette, please keep it down in here. As I stated in brotherpeacemaker’s post, it’s not about us (and this may surprise you, but it’s certainly not about you) or about who is right or wrong in here, so I lost nothing. My heart goes out to Ms. Semenya, because of people like you who gloat in her misfortune… which doesn’t surprise me, just like it doesn’t surprise me that thefreeslave hasn’t felt the need to celebrate some sort of victory… he always takes the high road. Regardless of how she is defined, she is a human being and not just an object for intellectual banter. So she still has my support… more now than ever. You would do well and be a better human being and woman, if you take a page from Ms. Semenya… “dignity and class”… and maybe some empathy…
I have to agree with Man and Yvette, And speaking as a man I am just not attracted to a woman that looks like Caster. Although, I do think she is a women because she says she is a women. It is not my place to define her gender status. However biologically speaking I have another view but what does that matter I am just one person on my own journey of life. It terms of sporting events Man has made the argument. I hope in the future there are detailed rules about what defines women and men for the “women’s and men’s events”. Therefore I think Caster should keep what she has earned if those rules were not in place.
However what people think is what folks think … And with that Asabagna let’s be honest one brother to another would you and or could you be attracted to Ms. Caster? Now that is not to say Caster is not a lovely woman spiritually, intellectually, socially, and emotionally. But physically what are your views about femininity, beauty, and how do you define a woman. I ask these question of you personally because I would guess they are far from average. And if you are far from average that is cool but walking down the street I would not be attracted to Caster. Much love to her though and her success and I hope she keeps her medals!
Voice
Yvette,
Your lack of sensitivity is truly remarkable. I guess you expect me to distance myself from Ms. Semenya now that she’s been tested and the results came back against her. But I won’t. As I said in a comment before,
If this is the way we want to treat female athletes then let’s make some comprehensive standards for testing. All the women who want to compete in sports should be tested and anyone who fails their gender testing should have their name splayed out all over every media source. Let’s not allow Ms. Semenya to become the rare exception.
Peace
I think the reason her name was “splayed out all over every media source” is because she/he was not only just winning against the world’s best but breaking long standing national/world and Olympic records over and over.
It was obvious to a few of us that she/he had an abundance of male hormones but the question is not “Do we dump on her/him or denigrate her/him” but rather, what now happens to the tens of thousands of future female athletes globally who over the next 20-30 years attempt to break records set by a person who admittedly had more strength enhancing testosterone in her system than any of them might ever hope to or even want to have?
Do these records still stand? As an athlete from a family of athletes, I can tell you that none of us would consider this to be fair. Many, many future athletes may simply decide not to try to compete in any of these specific events since so many of those meet, country and world records will be unachievable by elite female athletes for decades hence.
I personally wish her the best and I am happy to see that her partner appears to be a wonderful looking girl too.
@Voice… although I do believe that physical attraction is important in a relationship, for me this was not… and is not an issue in regards to Ms. Semenya. If I was walking down the street, regardless of whether I found her attractive or not, I would see her as a woman, which she is.
@Yvette… as BP alluded to, “you’re insensitivity is truly remarkable”, as well as I want no conflict with you. To be clear, in an effort to not allow this discussion/debate to degenerate into a “Jerry Springer like” circus as before, which adds no value to the discussion/debate, your further comments on this issue would be better appreciated on your own blog.
Asabagna well said and for me that is the reality of our world … some folks see her as a woman and others don’t see her as a woman but again I would ask for “your bloggers” that you define the word woman for said discussion…
AGAIN I think if the sporting groups didn’t have these rules and definitions in place before Ms. Caster’s events she should keep all of what she has earned. The real question is what the response will be in the athletic community with regard to her biology. Also, the response in her global community.
woman definition from http://www.yourdictionary.com
noun pl. women
the female human being
women collectively
an adult female human being
a female servant
Dialectal a wife
a sweetheart or a mistress
womanly qualities or characteristics; femininity the woman in her
female definition
adjective
designating or of the sex that produces ova and bears offspring: biological symbol, ♀
of, characteristic of, or suitable to members of this sex; feminine
consisting of women or girls
designating or having a hollow part shaped to receive a corresponding inserted part (called male): said of pipe fittings, electric sockets, etc.
Bot.
having pistils, archegonia, or oogonia and no stamens or antheridia
designating or of a reproductive structure or part containing large gametes (eggs) that can be fertilized by smaller, motile gametes (sperms)
designating or of any structure or part that produces fruit after it is fertili
and a woman defined as a female servant wow! … yourdictionary.com is over the top with that I don’t agree with the statement! it is 2009
voice
a sweetheart or a mistress recently I have learned that mistress by definition was a term of honor and respect
@Voice… your request that I provide a definition for the word “woman” for the sake of this discussion, reminds me of a judge who was asked to make a ruling on whether a photograph could be defined as “pornography” or not. In his decision he stated that although he couldn’t define what “pornography” was, everyone knew it when they saw it! Well I can neither provide a definition and now I guess I cannot rely solely on what I see!
Theblacksentinel made an interesting point in the post by brotherpeacemaker which I linked to above:
“Sorry, she is NOT both male and female. She is a female with male characteristics. There is a difference. She does NOT have a penis but she seems to have undescended testes which are not mature.
She does have the feminine outer female genitalia but not the inner ones such as ovaries. So that makes her more female than male. Since her testosterone is still within normal female range that clearly means she is more female and thus doesn’t have some advantage.”
Does this mean that we can now define her as 90% female, or 80%, or 60%, maybe 50%? I don’t know. I’ll refer to the reply given by President Obama when he was asked, “when does life begin?” He stated that answer was above his pay grade. Ms. Semenya case is far from unique and the IAAF has rules based on precedence to determine her fate in the athletics world.
Another issue though is whether this is the first time Ms. Semenya, her family and the South African Sports Federation have been made aware of her condition? I am not naive, neither do I have blinders on. I would not be at all surprised if it is revealed that they all… or some combination… or individually knew about this beforehand and tried to capitalize on it. However, maybe it’s the “cop” in me… but I need proof before I declare someone guilty.
I don’t think that there are “winners” in this debate per se. Yes, Semenya was found to have certain male attributes…but, what affect did they have on the outcome? And what rights does she have as a competitor in a global sport, competing against runners from many nations, nations and competitors hungry for glory?
There’s a LOT of gray in this issue, while many have been painting this issue in blacks and whites.
What rights do the other women that competed against Semenya have when it comes to testosterone levels, male muscular development and how those impact the playing field? Does she have an unfair advantage against women without her attributes? Should we be concerned with their rights, when among their number are other African women?
Was it a racist plot, or a racist witch hunt? I’m sorry, I just don’t see it. Many of the arguments – nobody said anything until she won, etc – ring hollow. They were made to buttress a weak case. Clearly, there was fire that some saw behind the smoke; others only saw racism. That is important to note and should be acknowledged.
I understand why Yvette would be seeking some statement from someone that her position had substance, though I can’t endorse her tone here.
Nobody cares about last place, only first. Of course folks are going to come under greater scrutiny, especially when they burst into the spotlight from nowhere. Its not like Semenya was dominating the field for years.
Now, to this matter of support. Again, I support the truth, not black or white truth, THE truth. If we are doing the right thing; I’m with us. When we aren’t; you won’t find me on any picket line.
I support Semenya receiving the help that she needs in dealing with the aftermath of this affair. The release of info publicly – shameful. At the same time: how do you hush it up once you publicly state you’re doing a “gender test?” It sucks AND its the price paid for living a public life. That should be the lesson learned: if you have any questionable stuff in your life, be prepared if you enter any public arena for the absolute WORST to come out. And then, to quote 2Pac: “hold your head up/stick your chest”.
Tough as it is, this is the life that SHE chose.
There is a possibility that her parents did not know that since she never had her first menstrual period and was past the age of puberty that something was wrong.
I imagine in a country like South Africa where she is from, poor black girls do not get check up if they don’t have their period by let’s say 12 or 13 years of age.
And there are so many masculine looking female athletes, I doubt the South African Sports Federadation gave it a second thought.
Caster Semenya has not done anything wrong and is not guilty of anything.
But this is a large Pandora’s box here, because some would say the internal sex organs and the hormones are to the human body what engines are to a machine.
But the crux here is her testerone level is normal or maybe even similar to that of a female with ovaries.Oh, Caramba!
I just hope now with the results, the South African Sports Federation does not ignore her and allow her to fall back into poverty and oblivion. That would be a shame.
Voice, no one cares who you are attarcated to.
I am sick and tired of men always believing they sound so debonaire, interesting and powerful when they say they are not attracted to certain women.
There is a possibility that Caster is not attracted to you either.
And I imagine there are “un gran sin número de ” (numerous) feminine looking, “beautiful” women who are not attracted to you either . Period. End of that silly story of attraction.
Yes, Caster Semenya is a human being ,and normal to boot ,because she was born that way. I hope she keeps her gold medal.
Saludos,
Ana
I don’t see the support of people and the support of the truth as being an either/or proposition. And in most instances, the truth is a matter of perspective. Some people hear about the results of Caster Semenya’s gender testing and think that the truth is uncovered because the woman has neither womb nor ovaries but has undeveloped testes that are producing more testosterone than normal for the average woman and therefore she is not a one hundred percent female and therefore is unqualified to be competing with females. That is their truth. But for other people, the truth has yet to be determined.
According to a couple of Australian news reports, the results of the gender testing mandated from the International Association of Athletics Foundation have determined that Ms. Semenya is not quite right. But in all honestly, she hasn’t been determined to be all wrong. For many people, the truth is that Ms. Semenya suffers from a birth defect. It is an unfortunate circumstance for a number of females throughout human history.
The truth is that there are experts that say Ms. Semenya should be allowed to race as a woman. According to experts like Dr. Myron Genel, a professor emeritus of pediatrics at Yale University, and Dr. Louis Elsas, chairman of biochemistry at the University of Miami, and Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, past president of the American College of Medical Genetics, the truth is that Ms. Semenya is a female with a birth defect. The whole matter is as simple as that. All three of these doctors are members of the panel of experts convened by the IAAF back in 1990 that helped to frame the standards for genetic gender testing.
According to these doctors, the concern that women with XY chromosomes have a competitive advantage is not true. According to Dr. Simpson, any elite athlete has a competitive advantage. Otherwise why would they bother becoming an athlete? Dr. Simpson believes that the issue should be limited to simply determining whether men are masquerading as women. And it is Dr. Simpson’s opinion that Ms. Semenya is clearly a woman. The truth is that a woman with the Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome means that she doesn’t respond to testosterone. It also means that she doesn’t have a competitive advantage from having an XY chromosome. And that’s the truth.
With that in mind we have to be careful not to jump to any inconclusive conclusions. Although the results may appear to be definitive, the truth is that they really aren’t. More often than not things are much more complex than they appear. When it comes to the dealings of the human community, things are rarely as simple as black and white.
In many respects, the case involving Ms. Semenya’s gender is not even close to being a certain conclusion. If anything, it’s just starting. And while I support the search for the truth, I continue to support Ms. Semenya in this ordeal. While people continue to write Ms. Semenya off as some freak of nature, I will continue to support her as a young female in the black community. Her gender was already answered when she was given approval to run with other women. While other people are happy to dissect her and put her personal business out there for all to see in a so called search for truth, the truth is we are heading into uncharted territory.
If we allow the truth to be told we would admit that there are a ton of things that we simply don’t understand about this entire affair. To think that we can sit back and allow others to make the determination as to what constitutes femininity or masculinity means we allow ourselves to sit back and allow others make the definition as to what it means to be human. There’s nothing wrong with adding our own voice to the conversation. We should be allowed to agree. We should be allowed to disagree. But whatever we decide, we should make our decision in the search for all the truths and not just the ones that support our perceptions of what we have predetermined to be the truth.
Peace
You might find this interesting, or at least, the comments engendered therein interesting. Technically, she is definately not a hermaphrodite. That word (“hermaphrodite”) has almost no use ever with humans, as to be a true “hermaphrodite” would be very unlikely. There are specific conditions one can have, and how one would select or self-assign gender/sex and what the athletic world might prefer depends on the exact condition, not a general, inaccurate, out dated term such as “hermaphrodite.”
If my guess (and it is only a guess, but see the linked post for details) is right, she is a she, in a world in which everyone has to be a she or a he (i.e., the sports world). Anyway, I’d love your opinion on it.
VERY interesting, to say the least! Mind expanding!
The more I read and hear on this issue, the more I realize that I am ignorant of all the facts and dynamics surrounding this “condition”. There is indeed a LOT of grey in this issue. All my pre-conceived notions and assumptions have all gone out the window and I need to start over! The information provided by BP, Mr. Laden and others that I have read and heard about Ms. Semenya’s actual gender and that the higher levels of testosterone in her body does NOT give her a competitive advantage, I find puzzling… “if truth be known”.
To the question of whether the whole ordeal: “Was it a racist plot, or a racist witch hunt?” Again I would now say: “I don’t know.” I have more questions than answers in regards to this whole affair. I can now appreciate and understand the request for gender testing for clarification on the status of an athlete, but why isn’t it then done automatically for all (female) athletes… just like a doping test? If it is true that a female athlete with AIS, with elevated testosterone levels has no competitive advantage, and if this is a known and accepted fact by the medical, scientific and biological community, then why wouldn’t the IAAF issue a statement to that effect and end that part of the controversy? Now that it appears that Ms. Semenya has AIS and if it is therefore true that she has no competitive advantage over the other female competitors in her event, then on what basis would the IAAF disqualify her, strip her of her medal and prevent her from competing in the future? Now this certainly doesn’t mean that there is any sort of “racist plot or racist witch hunt” going on here against Ms. Semenya, nor does it mean that “race” isn’t a factor in all this. At this point though, it seems irrelevant.
To the issue of “support”… hmmm. It’s a noble endeavor to support concepts like the “truth”, “justice”, “freedom”, “equality”, “race”, (the Oakland Raiders… another story for another day..lol), etc. However, as BP mentions, the support for a person and a concept is not necessarily an either/or proposition. I would argue that in some cases, even within the same senario, they may be totally different things altogether. I would also argue that it is much harder and you risk more of yourself, to support a person. “Truth” is a matter of personal perspective, which can change as we gain more knowledge and experience. People unlike concepts, don’t… never… fit into our “perfect” boxes. My grandfather used to warn me that: “you are known by the friends that you keep”. We have no control over others and what they may or may not do… now or in the future… nor what they did in their past. The more you invest in supporting a person, especially when the majority of public opinion are against them, the more you will become tainted (guilt by association) if the “absolute WORST” comes out about them in the public arena… even if this “absolute WORST” is a matter of others’ perception and not backed up by facts. Yeah when the storms comes, and they will come, “you gotta hold your head up and stick your chest out”… but also turn around to see who “gots your back”… then you will see some real truth!
One of the things I have learnt… and am reminded… in all this, is that the search for “truth” begins with coming to the realization and admitting to yourself that you don’t know… especially when you were sure you did know.
I don’t know.
Asa,
Remarkably, I think we may’ve finally found a point of agreement regarding the Caster Semenya issue. You are right that this is a very complex issue. I would also agree that the IAAF needs to adopt some form of gender testing for all its athletes, if for no other reason than to avoid the embarrassment of athletes who fall into a “grey” area (for lack of a better term) where gender is concerned. I’ve heard that Semenya isn’t taking the news well and this is the fault of the IAAF. Instead of being proactive years ago and adopting uniform gender testing guidelines, they sheepishly wait until gossip and rumors push them into a position where they were forced to take action. Then they scramble, force the athlete to take the gender test, and then leak the results.
And again, I would agree that truth is matter of personal perspective. Physics has proven that we all, individually, flow in and between each others dimensions and that time and space are not absolute. If you’re moving at the speed of light, time stands still whereas here on earth, time seems to leap from second to second, minute to minute. I say all this to make the point that I believe we underestimate the vast differences in our perspectives and the experiences which create those perspectives. We are more different than we believe yet vastly more alike than we could have ever imagined. This is the divine dichotomy. Complex indeed…..
In so far as support is concerned, my preference is to have no personal, emotional, or psychological attachments to any person, country, place, or thing. I know this sounds strange. People will say, well, you’re African American, how can you not immediately identify with the people who share your background and your struggle? But for me, in my search for truth, psychologically removing myself, at least temporarily, allows me to assess clearly without bias or prejudice. This is not an indictment on anyone, it’s just my way.
@Yvette… all very well stated with some food for thought!
this case will ever be resolved?