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I want to echo Hanna’s sense of ambivalence about Caster Semanya, the South African runner who may have to stop competing against those deemed unambiguously female. It does seem like gender ambiguity is among the few natural advantages that violate our sense of equity in competition. Maybe it’s not quite fair that Semanya’s opponents will be up against someone with a genetic advantage. But Lance Armstrong’s heart happens to be 1/3 bigger than the average male heart. Is this fair to the regularly-heart-sized guys up against him? ... (Read the rest of this post, and the whole thread, in DoubleX.)
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It has been reported that Caster Semenya is a "hermaphrodite."
The South African runner thoroughly dominated her opponents in recent
races, and because of her masculine appearance, she was forced to
submit to a battery of gender tests. According to the Times of London,
"the 18-year-old had internal testes and no womb or ovaries." They also
note that the situation is delicate for the athletic association brass
because of Semenya's high profile. ... (Read more in DoubleX)
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On the heels of Caitlin Mostacella's insightful post
on double standards and warped cultural values when it comes to female
athletes, here's some beauty news on Caster Semenya to curl your teeth (via Broadsheet):
The 18-year-old appears on the cover of You
magazine with her cheeks rouged, lips glossed and nails painted.
Instead of her yellow-and-green tracksuit, she dons a sleek black dress
that covers up her washboard abs; gold jewelry, not sweat, drips from
her neck; and her cornrows are combed out into a bouncy coiffure. The
South African glossy declares in a headline: "Wow, Look at Caster Now!"
Also: "Athletics star Caster Semenya as you’ve never seen her
before—transformed by YOU from powergirl to glamour girl." ... (Read more at DoubleX)
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South African runner Caster Semenya is being forced to submit to a gender test. If she is intersex—born with genitals of both sexes, or even had a sex change operation—is she not a woman? She is, by any humane standards ... (Read more in DoubleX.)
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