Caster Semenya

[LilaJude]

Is anyone else outraged that sports bodies are suggesting forcing Caster Semenyer to take medication to reduce her testosterone levels?

Caster has a naturally occurring phenomenon which gives her more testosterone than the average woman, and this has been deemed a competitive advantage that needs to be medically regulated.

How is this fair? We don’t handicap other athletes for having longer legs or more muscle mass. The nature of sport is that people with exceptional bodies triumph.

It’s like these sports governing bodies are saying ‘testosterone is a man thing, women aren’t allowed it.’ But Caster does have it, naturally, and it’s just part of who she is.

I just think it’s outrageous to force a woman to medicate just because a naturally occurring condition means her body doesn’t fit with what is conventionally seen as feminine / female.

"Why though, is Caster required to lower to 5nmol/l while 'transwomen' is double that? That highly unfair."

The IAAF introduced the 5nM limit in November 2018, but the IOC (remember the committee in 2015 advised by Joanna Harper) are still considering it.
I think the whole thing is a miserable compromise, and although I felt sorry for Semenya originally, I guess that money, competing and winning all trumps this in sport and general fairness.
I think sport should be split biologically - XX and XY chromosomes, which is good enough for around 99.5% of the population.
Even at birth to 50 days there is a marked difference between boys and girls T levels, and then of course the massive difference at puberty.

fn.bmj.com/content/89/6/F558

"they"

I know this is about caster but Sharon Davies did mention the other 2 medalists in that Rio 800 Olympic final. Women’s

I watche£ it and was just like what am I watching.

I like watching athletics. But women’s middle distance is now something else

they are always out of order.

What the actual fuck. So clearly refers to girls or women as separate to themselves and multiple times now has been a sexist pig.

I could actually see it all in action, behaviours and levels of activity. Quite the cognitive dissonance over how apparent nature was!!

I've never read a study that supports this view - people suffer with massive confirmation bias about the way infants behave. Is your point that Caster's parents should have realised she was male due to her activity levels as a baby? That's such horseshit.

Caster's parents were probably as able to realise as any other parents - ie they may have known something was not quite as expected, but were unable to put their finger on it.

The sports authorities and promoters would have seen a few flags waving and probably had the money for healthcare.

She's just very good

If she was just 'good' then she wouldn't be changing tracks simply because she has to lower testosterone. She clearly knows the testosterone gives her an advantage, and does not want to give up that advantage, no matter how unfair to everyone else. She knows she would not be anywhere near as good if competing on a fair(er) basis. Hence, changing when shes expected to be a bit more even with the other females.

I do feel sympathy as I said, however I also find it really unfair on women and think its clear CS knows exactly why she is so 'good' and doesn't want that taken away and have the chance of not winning.

I fully support the XX and XY sports stance taken by Sharon Davies. Anything else is just unfair to women

And I strongly suspect that Sharon Davies knows much more about exactly how much injustice and deception has been involved here than I do.

Oops sorry wrong thread.

But seeing as I am here, I believe the right action has been taken with regards to Caster Semenya.

I fully support the XX and XY sports stance taken by Sharon Davies. Anything else is just unfair to women

And I strongly suspect that Sharon Davies knows much more about exactly how much injustice and deception has been involved here than I do.

Yes. I see some people saying it's "unfair" to athletes like Semenya (they're often the same people saying it's "unfair" to men who identify as women) - my response would be that allowing these individuals on the grounds of "unfairness" to them would be to entirely ignore the "unfairness" to thousands of girls and women.

I feel sympathy for the 3 women who did not get medals in the Rio Olympic s.

Sharon is right. There is something going on when agents are out looking for girls with dsd

Riddley

It's not horseshit at all!

I made it clear it was my reality and massively challenged the studies I'd conducted; I thought I'd also made it very clear that my bias was in the opposite direction!

It’s really not the end of the world if Caster Semenya is told she cannot compete.

I cannot compete either because I’m not fast enough. I accept it and do something else with my time.

It’s just running.

Sharon Davies has this nailed doesn't she? She has really done her homework.

As for the video of Caster - you only have to see how Caster is sitting to know her likely sex.

I used to feel sorry for them, and still do to some extent. But once it became clear there was a problem with their sex they should have been honest. My sympathy stopped at the point they continued to compete almost certainly knowing their chromosomal make-up.

Anyone read the article written by one of Casters legal team in The Independent? He repeatedly says ‘ woman’ with DSD’s

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/caster-semenya-case-testosterone-regulations-loses-iaaf-appeal-discriminate-against-her-what-happens-a8894541.html%3famp

If Caster really had been socialised as a woman I don’t think they would be in this situation now.

There does need to be justice for women devoting their everything to being the best and fastest they can be as women, and being robbed.

Are there any cases of women athletes putting forward their case for being unjustly treated and robbed of their rightly earned accolades as a result?