The rumors now say that 800m winner Semenya is a hermaphrodite. If that’s true, what should be done about her case? Should she compete with men, or with women?
I think that ultimately, biology should decide if Semenya is mostly a woman, or mostly a man. Her chromosomes should be analyzed, and a decision taken based on that. Chromosomes don’t fall in between, even if external examination reveals a hermaphrodite with both the sexual organs of a male and a female. Chromosomes can reveal if she’s biologically a woman, or a man, without an in-between.
No, this is not a case of discrimination, it’s about fairness to the other athletes. It’s about competing against others that bare the same biological characteristics as you are (no matter the personal sexual preference, and no matter the external organs). Since there is already a concrete scientific method at the biological level to recognize men from women, there’s no reason why not use that method.
Again, this is not about discrimination. In the case of gay marriage for example, it’s their business! No one should interfere with the sexual preference of other people! But in the case of competing against other athletes, it’s the business of these other athletes, as it has a direct impact on their careers. For example, usually only the first 6 of each competition get an extra prim (usually a few thousand dollars each). But if you happen to finish 7th, because the 1st place was won by someone who was biologically a man, sucks for you.
To my eyes, her body is mostly a man’s body btw. Even pro female athletes that have way too much muscle still look like women with muscles. Semenya on the other hand, she looks more like a man to my eyes. Look how she has no hips, something that it’s not possible to remove with body building (hips are required for easier birth, so it’s usually a tell-tell sign of a female, even among pro athletes). But that’s just external examination.
I hope she continues to live as a female, obviously this is her sex choice. But if her chromosomes tell another story, then she should compete with men. Nevertheless, this won’t be an easy decision for IAAF. It’ll be a PR disaster no matter which decision they take.
UPDATE: I just read on some AU newspapers that she has 3x the testosterone a female should have, because of internal testes, and she has no ovaries/womb. So basically she is a hermaphrodite, with female external reproductive organs, male internal, and male physic.
In my opinion, again, IAAF should rely on low level biology to determine the gender rather than what can externally be noticed by visual examination.
And if she’s found to actually be more of a woman rather than a man, then IAAF has no right to stop her from competing against women. Because in that case, she simply has a natural advantage, like some athletes are taller than others, or with longer legs than others, or with bigger lungs than others. She just happens to have more testosterone.
If IAAF bans *all* hermaphrodites off competition, even if there’s a scientific way to determine their gender at a biological level, then that’s a discrimination issue and they should be taken to court.
