Caster Semenya

[versi2000]

I wonder, there's no thread about 'her' yet.
She's 18 years old and the new world-champion over 800m.
What do you think? I she an absolute natural woman? Could there be something more in her trousers? Is she a ladyboy, or just a girl with too much muscels? Do you like her?
Anyway, I don't understand the trouble. They made a sex-test with ANY sportsmen till some years ago, why not now?

btw.... originally i wanted to make a poll about this. Is she a shemale or not. But I don't think, that's fair. I'm sure, she has enough trouble.

[aa2239]

This is a very interesting issue, but one which has been handled very badly by the Athletics authorities, and by many sports commentators. The problem isn't that she has been asked to take a gender test... regardless of if she is a man or a woman, given that she is just 18, this issue should have been handled much more privately and tactfully... this poor person is having their stated gender disputed and discussed in public. Many South Africans are rightly angry about this; they argue that if she was white and European/North American, the issue would have been handled much more sensitively.

I've heard that she may simply be a young girl with a natural hormone imbalance, which would explain the muscles and the strong build. I have to admit though, she does have a slightly masculine look about her... strong jawline, torso, etc.

I don't think that she is a "shemale" in the more widely understood sense... i.e. she wasn't born as a boy, and then deliberatly changed herself into a woman. Thinking about it logically, most male-to-female transsexuals tend to be very feminine and "girly"... they don't usually hit the gym, develop a chiselled six-pack, and become world champion athletes!

Anyway, it looks like this gender test will definitely go ahead, so I guess time will tell if Caster is a boy or a girl. My money is on girl though.

[versi2000]

of course you're right. Definitely she is not a shemale.
But maybe she's a man, who thinks, she's a girl. She wouldn't be the first world- or olympic-champion, to whom such things 'happen'.
But what should the IAAF do? In the end they just agreed to make a test with her, like they made with many others before. The international press are definitely horrible (surprise?). They show her face in their newspaper and write:
"look - is this a man or a woman? "
Hmmm... like I do here.

As far as i know, in Greek the Olympians had to be naked, so no woman could take part

[Bionca]

Here is the deal. The Olympics allow trans men and women to compete after 2 years on hormones, because athletic ability is more training and hormones than it is chromosomes. For her to be tested, and in such a public manner is downright tragic.

Let's say she has an intersex condition and has xxy or x chromosomal makeup or even o chromosomes. She could have mosaicism and depending on where they check she will come out either or neither. What will this mean for her ability to compete? What s the point of testing her?

There was a case of an Indian athlete who was accused of being a man. She found out she had Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) and wasn't allowed to compete. She killed herself as a result.

Also given the comments in the press, the actual debate is over how she looks - NOT how she runs. Followed by what she has happening in her pants. It is my firm belief that particular information is on a need to know basis, and the general readers of various sports magazines are NOT in the group who needs to know.

Plenty of talk about it , i think first impression is 'hey that's a dude'

Altthough strange they wait until now to make a big deal of it ? surely it could have been sorted out long ago