To be; or Not to be a Woman, That is the Question

One thing that has been fascinating me since this summer was the discussion that arose in connection with the world championships in athletics in Berlin about the South African runner Caster Semenya. After having completely dominated the women’s 800 metres there was a discussion about that she might possibly not be a woman at all. There was a lot about it in the media and although I didn’t follow it very carefully I understood that there were a lot of tests taken, gender tests, hormone tests, physical examinations and I don’t know what. Still people didn’t seem to be quite sure whether she was really a woman or not.

This was the first thing that fascinated me. Just imagine that there are so many things in our society that are completely based on what sex you are. Your name, your clothes, how you are supposed to behave, whom you are supposed to fall in love with, what kind of job you do, how much you earn for the job you do and the amount of power you get among other things. Yes, a person’s sex sometimes actually seems to be the most important thing about a person. Just think about how the first question asked about a newborn child is whether it is a boy or a girl. I know, many would (rightfully) object that many of the things mentioned above is not a matter of a persons sex but a matter of gender. In a way I agree, but still, the socially constructed gender is very much formed by the sex of a person. Therefore I find it very interesting that not even the state of the art of science can definitely agree on whether a person is a man or a woman. Can it than be so f***ing important!? Isn’t it about time that we start letting people be just what they are?!

This week the whole story got another interesting twist. Now the IOK and IAAF have come to the conclusion that Semenya is one of very few women that have extremely high levels of testosterone, more than ten times higher than a “normal” woman. This higher level of testosterone is suspected to give her some advantages over other female competitors. This high level is regarded as a medical problem that can be treated and therefore persons like Caster Semenya should go through treatment before they are allowed to take part in this kind of sports competitions.

But hey!! Isn’t there something very wrong here?! Isn’t this, what sport is all about?! That there are some persons who have certain physical features that make them better suited for certain kinds of sports?! Shouldn’t tall persons be allowed to play basket ball?? Should we first send them to some anti-growth-hormone-treatment?! I think this is completely sick!! And I also think it is very typical that this is happening to a woman, who is considered not to be “the right kind of” woman. And of course a woman who is not a “real” woman needs to be sent to treatment!

Shame on you IOK and IAAF!
Go Semenya!! Go Girl!!