NAIROBI, Kenya, September 16 – I’ve been following the debate and hullabaloo surrounding one Caster Semenya the 800m champion accused of being a hermaphrodite
From the very beginning the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth – I think it is the fact that it offends all my sensibilities
For a moment imagine you are Caster’s mother, sister, brother, uncle, aunt or best friend; the young lady (and yes for the rest of this article I will refer to her as a lady) is only 18.
How would you behave around her? What would you say to her on a daily basis? Act as if everything was ok? Ask her if she’s hungry? Can you fix her something?
Does she want to go out on a Friday night? Oh wait that’s right – can’t happen, the whole world is ridiculing her and calling her a man; so that wont work
Just recently Big Brother put 12 females in the house – I have it on good authority that all the ugly ones (according to a pea minded group of individuals) are called Semenya’s! Just how shallow and vindictive can human beings get?
Caster Semenya pushed herself, she worked hard to get that medal, coming from a simple background where she had to be transported to a neighboring village for access to a better training ground – so help me God she deserves that medal – so what if she looked a little masculine?
Anyone seen Conjestina or Dorcas Inzikuru (who coincidentally was also given a makeover by a Ugandan magazine to ‘soften’ her look.)
The Williams Sisters are twice as muscular as Semenya!
This is no longer a matter of principle, of breaking some sort of athletic association rule, this is an ethical matter – where do you draw the line?
Does it not go to say that if one pushes their body it may take on another form? Just look at female body builders.
I am a swimmer and believe me- the one reason I quit the butterfly on a competitive level is because it was broadening my shoulders, I do 100 crunches every morning and as a result I have a six pack – so does my slightly male stomach formation make me a man?
Are we questioning the sensibilities of the man and woman who looked at their baby and said we shall raise her as a girl?
How is the Australian press going to feel if Caster Semenya takes her life? According to recent reports the athlete is supposedly contemplating Suicide.
She withdrew from a 4km cross-country race in Pretoria on the 13th of September Athletics South Africa spokeswoman Phiwe Mlangeni-Tsholetsane confirmed the athlete was receiving counseling but denied a report that she is suicidal.
Mlangeni-Tsholetsane said: "She has not mentioned suicide. She is an extremely strong and determined young woman. But the past few days have been extremely difficult.
All nicely layered with a tinge of racism, after all who are white people to question the African form?
Carl Lewis blames the South African Federation for Semenya’s Predicament saying they should have subjected her to the necessary tests before hand – I blame the whole world for not knowing where to draw the line, myself included, as a race we are a disgrace at times.
