Fighting for the glorious cause of…this one person.
Double Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya says her focus is now “more about winning battles against the authorities” than collecting medals.
Semenya, 32, was born with differences of sexual development (DSD) and cannot compete in any track events without taking testosterone-reducing drugs. The South African wants to hold World Athletics to account for discrimination against athletes with hyperandrogenism.
“I fight for what is right for humanity and for inclusivity,” she said.
Inclusivity of what though? Of people with extra testosterone? Is that really a glorious cause?
Hyperandrogenism is a medical condition characterised by higher than usual levels of testosterone, a hormone that increases muscle mass and strength.
You can see his point. A medical condition is not the same as doping. It’s not doping but it is an advantage. It does kind of render the wins meaningless though.
She has argued that taking testosterone-reducing medication could endanger her health and that the ruling denied her and other athletes with DSD the right to rely on their natural abilities.
Well, that is, the right to rely on their natural abilities in competitions.
In a statement, a World Athletics spokesperson told Reuters: “World Athletics has only ever been interested in protecting the female category. If we don’t, then women and young girls will not choose sport. That is, and has always been, the Federation’s sole motivation.”
It’s never been Semenya’s motivation at all.
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12 responses to “Battles against the authorities”
And here I thought Caster Semenya was an example of someone with testes, not someone with merely elevated levels of testosterone.
Nullius @ 1
That remains my understanding. Internal testes.
The Wikipedia article says:
A different kind of woman. How many times have we heard that? A different kind of woman who happens to be male. I can feel sympathy for the disorder that led to the ambiguities, but I cannot feel sympathy for someone with such extreme advantages over women taking advantage of that to defeat women.
That has been the historical situation women have suffered with for millennia; it’s only in about the past 50-75 years that we have acquired any vestige of equality. It sucks that men are gaming the system.
He is a liar and a cheat.
From what I understand (and that could be wrong), Castor’s family raised them as a girl. That has to create a great deal of emotional and cultural resistance to being told you have to compete as a man or reduce your testosterone to compete as a woman. I do have some sympathy for they’re at emotionally. That said. Biological males have no business in women’s sport regardless.
Life isn’t fair. Sorry, Castor, but you got dealt a bum genetic deal. It’s not anyone’s fault, but as Rob said, biological males have no business in women’s sport.
@5: As far as I now, that was a lie, which Castor fed to the media after he started cheating in women’s sports:
https://ovarit.com/o/SaveWomensSports/95573/caster-semenya-athletics-chiefs-thought-i-had-a-d-so-i-offered-to-prove-i-didn-t
Vs. that “Inverse Cowgirl” person who had their testes removed in infancy. Honestly don’t know what to do with someone like that…
@GW, thanks, I stand corrected.
Something bothers me about the way Caster’s feelings about [his/her] sex are being weaponized. Caster has testicles. Caster knows this. We know this. Everybody knows what sex Caster is, at least for the purpose of sports categorization. I want to live in a world where this leads to a matter-of-fact decision — no female sports for Caster. We all understand that there will be some hard feelings and disappointment on Caster’s part. And I’m sure we all sympathize. But Caster’s feelings are being taken way out of proportion, and used as an excuse to try and change the rules to benefit Caster to the detriment of everyone else.
That feels out of line to me. Another example that the balance has gone out of whack between individual people’s personal feelings and greater society’s needs. It’s such a fine example of putting one individual’s feelings above everyone else’s needs that I’m sure Caster’s case is backed and amplified by trans-identifying men and their supporters.
Which is basically the whole problem with the trans ideology as it has developed and entrenched itself. It’s all about putting this one tiny set of people ahead of everyone else, for no clear reason.
@Artymorty:
I’m pretty sure that they don’t. That is, if by “everyone” you’re intending the general population, not just people who take an interest in such things.
Most of the general population thinks that Semanya is an actual, biological woman, who just happens to have elevated levels of testosterone owing to a medical condition. They think that because that’s what the BBC tells them, and the general population (still) trusts the BBC to be fair and reliable.
The BBC’s article uses “she”/”her” throughout, and it says that:
“European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of Semenya in a case related to testosterone levels in female athletes.” (Added emphasis.)
And: “Hyperandrogenism is a medical condition characterised by higher than usual levels of testosterone, …”
Except that Caster’s levels are not “higher than usual” for a man, they’re normal for a man. This wording only makes sense from the starting point that Caster is a biological woman.
And, if Caster were an actual biological woman, who just happened to have testosterone levels right at the top end of the distribution among females, then there would be a strong case that “she” should run in the women’s category. And Caster’s feelings on this should then count. And that’s what a lot of people think is the issue here! Because that’s how the mainstream media present it.
This is why things like pronouns and the definition of “woman” actually matter, and why the mainstream media going along with the woke “style guide” for fear of denunciation, does actually matter.