So in response to the comments of athletes, notably a female runner from Canada, about the recent performances of Caster Semenya, another Canadian, bike racer Kristen Worley, has made some very insightful comments.Worley is is male to female transsexual who competes internationally. She called her … [Read more...]
Testosterone levels: New racing categories?
Dear track and field athletes: Hope you like needles, because we're going to test your testosterone levels before every competition and enter you into the appropriate category the day of your race. Sure this will cost us millions and millions of dollars but since you all want things fair and fair … [Read more...]
Commentary continues as Semenya resumes racing
I have seen several articles/editorials since Caster Semenya has resumed racing. But this one is by far the best. (I won't even link to the really problematic one from a male sportswriter from Kenya who seemed to have some sympathy for Semenya's situation but in the end he deemed Semenya … [Read more...]
Semenya cleared to race
What seemed like endless tests and discussions over the gender of South African runner Caster Semenya have apparently come to an end with the IAAF (the international governing body of track and field) ruling that Semenya can continue (after the imposed one-year hiatus) to race against women. I guess … [Read more...]
Caster Semenya cleared for competition
After much bumbling, the IAAF has cleared Caster Semenya to compete again. I'm happy for Semenya, and slightly hopeful that the lesson has been learned so that no one else has to go through such tribulation. … [Read more...]
Ain’t I a woman?
This is the title of a speech given by African-American abolitionist and former slave, Sojourner Truth, in 1851 at a Women's Rights Conference in Ohio. Her speech was in reaction to the privileges that white women had and the comparative silence about the oppression of Black women within both the … [Read more...]
IOC Releases “New” “Gender” Verification Policy
On January 17-18 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) convened a meeting of medical experts in Florida to discuss policy recommendations for the inclusion of intersex athletes in IOC-sponsored events. Though they claim otherwise, it seems likely that this meeting was called as a result of the … [Read more...]
IOC shows more ignorance about gender
Not content with resting on its laurels in deciding that women can't ski jump, it has declared that it will avoid further disasters like the humiliation and mistreatment of Caster Semenya...by embracing a medical model of intersex. … [Read more...]
Hold the presses: no lawsuit for Semenya
So it turns out the rumors around Caster Semenya are still based on things that very loosely resemble facts. Semenya has no intention of suing either the ASA or IAAF. She has retained a lawyer--the same firm that represented Oscar Pistorius in battle against the IAAF to run in able-bodied events … [Read more...]
A few newsy things
On December 22 the Canadian Supreme Court refused to hear the case of female ski jumpers trying to get into the 2010 Olympics. This was the last ditch effort of the group which has pursued legal means and made appeals to the IOC, including a letter to President Jacques Rogge--who refused to grant … [Read more...]