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New York, 11:06 PM
Mon Nov 30
60 posts in the last 24 hours
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09/11/09
[www.guardian.co.uk]
09/11/09
The results of the medical tests should not have been leaked, but it would have come out eventually. Everyone knew she was being gender-tested.
09/11/09
Exactly. Over at Jezebel, they're acting as if the IAAF, which has established rules requiring sex validation tests upon a challenge, had a vendetta against her.
So sad. So avoidable.
09/11/09
Of course, men will never be targeted for being "too feminine" in their sports of choice - because a man with a woman's body is unlikely to out-perform his peers in a male league.
Is a separate category the way to deal with this, though? Most intersex people identify with one gender, and could feel further marginalized if not allowed to compete as a woman or a man.
Also, how would the sports world deal with intersex people who have undergone sex assignment procedures, either at birth or later in life? Until very recently, it was standard procedure for a delivering doctor to "pick" a sex for an intersex baby.
This is an important discussion to have, but it's sad to have it come out at the expense of a young girl and a talented athlete.
09/11/09
The women's tennis circuit handled this quite well over 30 years ago when Renee Richards came on the scene, and appear to have been part of the model for subsequent efforts.
09/11/09
Professional sports are not about protecting someone's self-esteem. It's a tough business, and I don't think an athlete should just be able to compete as whatever gender they want lest we hurt their feelings or self-image. I've felt plenty marginalized at times because I can't run a mile under 10 minutes, but that doesn't mean I should be able to compete in the Olympics so my feelings don't get hurt.
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On the bright side, I am sure she can find a gig cracking lobsters. I mean, look at those mitts.
09/11/09
I just don't know if there is a good answer to that.
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09/11/09
It's unfair to Caster, but what's the solution?
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Cheating at sports where gender is a major competitive advantage by misrepresenting her sex.
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09/11/09
If you look at most female track and field athletes, its not like having a ripped body and no boobs is some rare thing that should raise red flags. Even a little facial hair and deep voice is not a red flag--or otherwise my high school cafeteria was run by a bunch of dudes in drag.
09/11/09
Considering shi looks like a boy, couldn't have menstruated without a uterus throughout her life, and would have been tested a substantial number of times for testosterone by international sports competition committees it seems more likely that shi did know than shi didn't. Then again, maybe I'm just being cynical.
09/11/09
And though I don't know this personally, I've read that her testosterone levels didn't prove anything and weren't that unusual. As for looking like a boy...I think there is still some ambiguity there and have you seen female track and field athletes? Many of them who are all women look no less masculine that Castor.
Her external genitalia is female. I think that would be enough for a person to think these other issues you mentioned were due to something other than "Oh, I'm a girl AND a boy?" That is not a conclusion people are going to jump to based on ambiguities like missed periods and peach fuzz on the chin.
09/11/09
It's theoretically possibly to just believe she never knew, which is fine, but I'm skeptical. There are reasons to be skeptical.
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09/11/09
It's Todd from Survivor, he's a reality show celeb, lots of him on the internets.
09/11/09
Thanks for your responses! I'm a Gay (former) Mormon myself so I was curious to find out more about him.
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09/11/09
You could be one of them - unless you've had a gene test recently.
If the reports are correct, Caster Semenya has PAIS-6. Partial Androgen Insensitivity grade 6, where grade 7 is Complete Androgen Insensitivity (CAIS).
The IAAS rules on the subject state:
"(The crux of the matter is that the athlete should not be enjoying the benefits of natural testosterone predominance normally seen in a male)
6. Conditions that should be allowed:
(a) Those conditions that accord no advantage over other females:
- Androgen insensitivity syndrome (Complete or almost complete -
previously called testicular feminization);
- Gonadal dysgenesis (gonads should be removed surgically to avoid
malignancy);
- Turner’s syndrome.
(b) Those conditions that may accord some advantages but nevertheless
acceptable:
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia;
- Androgen producing tumors;
- Anovulatory androgen excess (polycystic ovary syndrome)."
She has "almost complete androgen insensitivity". Not complete, or she would look 100% feminine. But three times the usual range of testosterone for women is not that unusual, comparable with that from PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), an allowable condition, *especially* since she's insensitive to it, so it has half or less effect.
I'm Intersexed. A protandrous dichogamous pseudohermaphrodite to be technical. I prefer "woman with an interesting medical history" or just plan "woman" for short.
We're human. And we walk among you. Some of you are Intersexed and don't know it, unlike my own rare and spectacular condition.
We shun the limelight. From this story, and some of the pig-ignorant commentary, you can see why. Some people don't just assault with words, they use baseball bats.
Let's just say that watching "Battlestar Galactica" meant more to me than most viewers.
She's a teenage girl. One who has given her all to become a world-class athlete. Now her life has been comprehensively destroyed, by leaks of personal medical data other human beings have a right to keep private.
Like Santhi Soundararajan, an Indian athlete who was treated similarly, she'll probably attempt suicide.
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