Hi Ken,

I usually don't respond to articles or comments - I found your comments particularly, I think you are being supportive of the issues. Though both the Toronto Star and you presented me incorrectly re "transgendered", as you went one step further never thinking twice about it calling me, "Worley is is male to female transsexual", calling me or identifying me as an athlete, and or a woman... Like so common, and again part of the "social ignorance around gender", and I say ignorance in a nice way, condescending in any manor, but meaning lacking of education. My girlfriends in HP sport, range from 5'10 to 6'3"... I myself, am 5'7"... I am smaller them most of my team-mates and other HP athletes I know. Moreover and important to note, at the HP or international level, each person (athlete) has been given a physical gift to get there.

You using those words, stole my identity as woman, let a lone a human-being. That is common in media where because of the ignorance, that one media feel they can do this, and furthermore which is even more scary, feel they have a right to do it. And because of lacking education, people have no idea the impact on the peoples lives living the experience of which millions do around the globe. 65,000 children recorded each year in the US alone are born Intersex.

The irony is, which I questions all of this is - where do people think they are physically the same as he next person. They are NOT. It is a false binary of which NONE in-fact fit in to. Hence what were seeing mirrored in sport of that of society.

What is even of more interest, through this process, as I am aware and know dozens of women this has happened too, in 7 different sports, 3 in just the last 3 years which because the ignorance led to attempted suicide 10 month's late.

The IAAF, of which I have been engaged with behind the scenes and IOC for the last many years, 9 athletes have fallen just like Caster in-fact in worse conditions.

We are literally raping women... solely on ignorance.

Just a piece of information, last August in Berlin Caster ran 1:55... Prior to this date, (9) women have run faster, in-fact the world record was set in 1983 sub 1:52. None of these women were ever gender tested.

Cummin's, a fellow Canadian comments though embarrassing for Canadian sport, as were leading the world on these issues as there has ben some amazing work going on behind the scenes - Cummin's 36, personal best sub 1:58... which is the Canadian record in 800m. Caster in Berlin last weekend ran 1:59:9.... Cummin's has run faster then her. In-fact this year in the Diamond league, (6) women have run sub 2:... in-fact 1:58...

Caster, a friend and colleague of mine, would admit she too like these other (WOMEN) are running slow as well. They are (7) seconds off the world mark.

You tell me the issues....

This is a social problem in world sport and society. Moreover working with experts, is a reflection of a much greater question is women's participation in sport, and how women are seen and where we must go from here, to ensure greater support and participation of women's engagement in sport. As I have said, were not gender testing the men... We crown them, we make them king of the day, tell them to run faster even and show us what you can do. When a women runs well we throw them into stirrups and rape them, questioning their very identity as a woman.

Bigger question, why is it men deciding women's fates in sport - why can't women be "strong bodied" rather than if they are be compared to men (masculine) stripping them of their very identities as a woman, let alone a high performance athlete. You cannot perform well or healthy if you are not fit.... Furthermore discredits women, and our chances to do well as WOMEN when we are being overshadowed and told how we must behave and be in society. Frilly skirts and pom poms.... Were in 2010, I think we are well beyond this, unfortunately the OLD GUARD of international sport is not, and that is a problem moving forward ensuring a sports system that embraces and reflects our global society.

I hope this is helpful...

With regards,


/Kristen

Monday, August 30, 2010 at 4:23pm PDT

Kristen,
I think there are some words missing from your first paragraph so I am not sure exactly what you are saying there. I do understand, however, that I appeared to have offended you with the use of the terms transgender and transsexual in reference to you. I certainly did not mean to discount your identification as a woman, rather it was more to illustrate your personal understanding of the complexity of gender.
I personally use transgender as an umbrella term, but am aware of the historical contentious relationship between transgender as it was born out of the activist community and transsexual as a term used largely as part of the medical discourse.
Also, I have the privilege of living in a young, queer, academic community where people in various stages of transition and identification identify as trans--whether or not they have legally changed their sex. In my world, trans is not a negative; many people I know embrace it because it allows for a complication of the gender binary. I always, always respect the labels people choose for themselves.
I would never suggest that you are not a woman. But I did not want to erase your past experiences which clealry give you a unique take on the Semenya situation and the issue of gender verification as a whole.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 8:25am PDT

Hi Ken,

Thank-you for your comments... you led right into it beautifully, "Medical discourse", in-fact is the problem, in and out of sport. Driven by a very narrow social binary of our society, of which now us fit into. Those words, are horrific...

Again a social driven problem...

Mianne Bagger and me have worked tirelessly to change the language which we have had great success. "transitioned athlete..." I look at my transition, as I lost my father a horrible and fatal cancer 2 years ago... I seem myself as a survivor of gender identity, just like someone surviving cancer or anything of great physical challenge in ones life.

It is very simple, and I live a very NORMAL life, of what ever my NORMAL is... For each on of us, NORMAL is different for each one of us. This is very very simple, we make it to hard, and mostly those who are the most challenged and life pay the horrific price for everyone else's ignorance. I too have been a victim and many other women I know just like my friend Caster, for just being part of the NORMAL.

It is very sad what has happened, and shows the very lowest of our society and humanity, and how little we understand and appreciate about each one of our differences as we are all UNIQUE. What a boring world it would be if we were all the same.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 11:18am PDT