Response to "Caster Semenya and the great gender debate"

Everybody at this point has heard of Caster Semenya, the South African track runner who is currently undergoing very public gender testing. If not, read up.

I've been reading a lot of articles about Semenya, and found a really great one over at Appetite for Equal Rights. So I left a comment, and for one reason or another, am reposting my comment below.

I agree completely with this post and with Amy. Apparently to most of the world there should be simple lines drawn in the sand (as exhibited by the above comment from Burn) without allotting room for people to be individuals. I love how you describe the icons used on bathroom doors in this post, because for me that cements exactly how the world would like to categorize people.The magazine cover photo to me is just disturbing, because apparently all it takes is a dress and some makeup to make a woman.

I myself am not much older than Caster Semenya, and so it’s almost painful to hear the humiliating hoops through which she has to jump just to prove that she deserves to have won that medal. Though the case shouldn’t have been leaked, and no one should have to endure such public embarrassment, at least now more people are aware of the issue and it’s not all hidden somewhere in the system where it’ll be neatly cleaned up. Right now the one good thing I can see in the situation is that maybe other people in the future won’t have to suffer through a huge public affair like Semenya does right now.

Thank you for writing this blog post. It’s so good to hear someone appropriately enraged at the whole situation, and with a solid argument to back everything up. Though clearly you cannot change everyone’s mind (again, witness Burn), I feel just voicing that disgust at the unfair treatment another human being is forced to undergo must be accomplishing something.

So there you have it. My wonderful words of wisdom on a topic I'm not exactly an expert in. But really, do read the article, and if you're not already familiar with Appetite for Equal Rights, go hang out there for a while. It's a fun place to be.