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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Commonwealth Games website (re Caster Semanya)

185 replies

impossibletoday · 31/07/2026 20:33

Noticed on the commonwealth games website. All the athletics events I looked at showed both the world record and the games record......

except the women's 800m.

Guess who holds that record from 2016.

Commonwealth Games website (re Caster Semanya)
Commonwealth Games website (re Caster Semanya)
OP posts:
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14
JellySaurus · 02/08/2026 12:01

Theeyeballsinthesky · 02/08/2026 09:32

Dear old mash, truly the gift that keeps on giving. Operation #letthemspeak

Ironic, considering that it was (and still is, if they are a danger to themselves or to others) men who believed themselves to be someone or something else who were locked up in ‘looney bins’. What, I wonder, is the difference between a man who believes he is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and all should do his bidding or be damned to hellfire, and a man who believes he is a woman, and all should do his bidding or be cancelled/raped/decapitated?

dizzydizzydizzy · 02/08/2026 13:38

CousinBette · 02/08/2026 11:12

What female attributes?

The below is from this article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/67367157

It is a good read. It really is not a clear cut situation.

“Differences of sexual development: DSD is a group of rare conditions whereby a person's hormones, genes and/or reproductive organs may be a mix of male and female characteristics. Some of those affected prefer the term "intersex". 46 XY 5-ARD is a specific type of DSD.”

Caster Semenya smiling after a 5000m race in Oregon 2022.

Caster Semenya Q&A: Who is she and why is her case important?

With Caster Semenya back in the news, BBC Sport looks at why her case is important.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/67367157

Helleofabore · 02/08/2026 13:41

DeanElderberry · 02/08/2026 11:29

As seen on XTwitter. Dr Dr P is a black woman. She has a strong opinion on that.

Dr. Dr. P: "I said what I said".

@Psychgirl211
·
Jul 22

So "black girls" look like men? Fuck this racist shit!!

Thanks Dean

It is great to see some of the confident women’s voices pointing this shit out.

Helleofabore · 02/08/2026 13:47

dizzydizzydizzy · 02/08/2026 13:38

The below is from this article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/67367157

It is a good read. It really is not a clear cut situation.

“Differences of sexual development: DSD is a group of rare conditions whereby a person's hormones, genes and/or reproductive organs may be a mix of male and female characteristics. Some of those affected prefer the term "intersex". 46 XY 5-ARD is a specific type of DSD.”

Please read more on this and read the expert testimony.

When it comes to categorising male and female people, some DSDs, such as 5ARD are unique MALE conditions. There is no ambiguity about most of these DSDs. It is activists who have been pushing this agenda since they successfully campaigned to remove sex screening from the Olympics around 1999.

Here are some easy to digest videos explaining the situation. But there is an abundance of information out there

https://theparadoxinstitute.org/videos

Videos — Paradox Institute

In illustrated animated videos, we explore topics in the biology of sex while countering the denial of biology in the mainstream culture.

https://theparadoxinstitute.org/videos

Shortshriftandlethal · 02/08/2026 13:53

dizzydizzydizzy · 02/08/2026 13:38

The below is from this article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/67367157

It is a good read. It really is not a clear cut situation.

“Differences of sexual development: DSD is a group of rare conditions whereby a person's hormones, genes and/or reproductive organs may be a mix of male and female characteristics. Some of those affected prefer the term "intersex". 46 XY 5-ARD is a specific type of DSD.”

That article is not being fully honest, but then that is typical of BBC reporting which has been very much trans activist for quite some time, so it is not difficult to understand why.

Semenya has a disorder of male sexual development, and went through male puberty. He always associated and identified with boys; wore male uniform at school and was effectively brought up as a boy - and his own father admits this. He is now married to a woman and they have children.

It was unfortunate for him that he had this condition which caused for him to be incorrectly recorded as a girl.....it cannot have been easy. But since puberty there has been no ambiiguity in determining his sex.

SodThisHeadache · 02/08/2026 13:54

@dizzydizzydizzy

I read that. The BBC has never covered itself in glory in being clear in its Sports reporting. Semenya has raised testosterone because he has testes that secrete testosterone, not because he's a special kind of woman with high testosterone. I'm honestly sick of hearing that phrase from them.

That testosterone lead to all the normal advantages of male development - lung capacity, muscle has, bone strength, height, but because the body cannot convert testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) during early development, external male sex organs do not fully form before birth.

Semenya is male, with a male DSD. Semenya claims to have a vagina but males with 46 XY - ARD develop a pseudovagina, or blind pouch that may resemble a vagina when they are born. They don't have ovaries or a uterus.

The blind vaginal pouch does not develop into a full reproductive vagina; instead, what at first looks a clitoris grows larger, and muscle mass and voice changes occur. At puberty - and as PP have said, at that point, if not before Semenya will have known he's not female.

It's unusual; it's a disorder but it's a disorder of male development, and as such gives male athletic advantage.

SodThisHeadache · 02/08/2026 13:57

X-posts with everyone else

spannasaurus · 02/08/2026 13:59

Semanya doesn't have raised testosterone levels or naturally high levels of testosterone he has an absolutely normal level of testosterone for a man.

SodThisHeadache · 02/08/2026 14:00

As an aside, it also pisses me off that a 'pseudovagina' or 'blind pouch' is also portrayed by trans people as exactly the same as a vagina. It is not the same in structure or function. It doesn't lead anywhere, it can't stretch to accommodate sex or childbirth; it can't lubricate or keep itself clean.

SodThisHeadache · 02/08/2026 14:01

spannasaurus · 02/08/2026 13:59

Semanya doesn't have raised testosterone levels or naturally high levels of testosterone he has an absolutely normal level of testosterone for a man.

Yes, true - he has raised testosterone compared to women, but normal levels for a man.

SodThisHeadache · 02/08/2026 14:03

@dizzydizzydizzy

I read your one link to the (poor) BBC article - did you read any of the many links posted by others?

spannasaurus · 02/08/2026 14:06

SodThisHeadache · 02/08/2026 14:01

Yes, true - he has raised testosterone compared to women, but normal levels for a man.

And that's the trick they use to make people think he's something other than a man. I can't remember anyone ever commenting on the naturally high or raised testosterone levels of say Usain Bolt

Helleofabore · 02/08/2026 14:25

dizzydizzydizzy · 02/08/2026 13:38

The below is from this article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/67367157

It is a good read. It really is not a clear cut situation.

“Differences of sexual development: DSD is a group of rare conditions whereby a person's hormones, genes and/or reproductive organs may be a mix of male and female characteristics. Some of those affected prefer the term "intersex". 46 XY 5-ARD is a specific type of DSD.”

What is it about this article that leads you to believe that Semenya’s case is not a ‘clear cut situation’?

The quote you highlighted is misleading because it pulls in other conditions.

Semenya has been proven to have 5ARD. his condition is unique to male people because he has TESTES that are actively producing male levels of testosterone that are being processed in his body. This was well known even back in 2009!

That DSD is not a new discovery, it had already been well documented much earlier.

Why should Semenya get special treatment that no other group of athletes get when they find out due to a medical condition they have, that they cannot compete in elite level sport any more?

All this discussion about ‘it’s complicated’ is actually dishonest. It is not complicated. Semenya had choices and he chose to continue to compete because there was a clause that some activists forced into OIC policy and Semenya chose to benefit from it.

Bunnyofhope · 02/08/2026 14:28

How the fuck are some people ignorant of the fact that caster semenya is a man. And has always been a man. And there is no grey area, nor any doubt whatsoever that he is and has always been a man?!

Lins77 · 02/08/2026 14:39

I'm still a little confused about this. I remember the situation first arising and I felt very sorry for Caster who I believed at
the time to have been raised and believed herself (as I thought at the time) to be female, despite looking very male when on the track. I thought it must be horrible to be in the situation of having your sex so publicly questioned. I even remember "her" posing for some glamorous magazine shots in makeup, etc.

Didn't realise then that "he" was apparently raised as male - and presumably encouraged to exploit the DSD to win medals.

I don't know, the whole thing seems strange, and I'm still not clear how complicit Caster was or wasn't in deception.

SodThisHeadache · 02/08/2026 14:43

@Lins77

Many many people felt like that. That's not accidental - we were encouraged to feel sorry for him; think he never knew, and above all not be aware that this was a loophole that those scouting him and selecting him for the team, for the glory of their country, were only too willing to exploit.

It's the same as the way we are led to feel sorry for other males who identify as women who don't have a DSD ('transwomen'), and never allowed to think or talk about uncharitable interpretations for their behaviour

Edited to add: anyway the way I now feel - it doesn't matter when he knew (he knew) - he had unfair advantage and I feel more sorry for the women from his country who lost out on their chance in elite sport, in medals, and those he competed against. Just like I don't feel sorry for Iman Khelif - he was prepared to punch women in the face and body so he could get his spot in boxing.

spannasaurus · 02/08/2026 14:44

@Lins77 this is a photo of 15 year old Semanya on a school trip. Does this look like someone who thought they were a girl - how many 15 year old girls go topless on a school trip?

Commonwealth Games website (re Caster Semanya)
Lins77 · 02/08/2026 14:52

Yeah I am seeing it differently now. Thanks.

impossibletoday · 02/08/2026 14:56

He is not the one kneeling down here

OP posts:
impossibletoday · 02/08/2026 14:58

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Commonwealth Games website (re Caster Semanya)
OP posts:
puffyisgood · 02/08/2026 15:02

spannasaurus · 02/08/2026 14:44

@Lins77 this is a photo of 15 year old Semanya on a school trip. Does this look like someone who thought they were a girl - how many 15 year old girls go topless on a school trip?

In some ways the most important thing about that photo is that it's not something that's been hunted down by some nasty GC type, possibly digitally altered, shared publicly without CS's permission... rather, it's one of CS's favourite photos of himself, chosen for inclusion in his book. It's basically a huge, trolling, wink to the reader.

SodThisHeadache · 02/08/2026 15:03

Yes, he's cocky.

Shortshriftandlethal · 02/08/2026 15:23

Lins77 · 02/08/2026 14:39

I'm still a little confused about this. I remember the situation first arising and I felt very sorry for Caster who I believed at
the time to have been raised and believed herself (as I thought at the time) to be female, despite looking very male when on the track. I thought it must be horrible to be in the situation of having your sex so publicly questioned. I even remember "her" posing for some glamorous magazine shots in makeup, etc.

Didn't realise then that "he" was apparently raised as male - and presumably encouraged to exploit the DSD to win medals.

I don't know, the whole thing seems strange, and I'm still not clear how complicit Caster was or wasn't in deception.

The sporting federations of quite a few countries have actively sought out males with this type of DSD to put in their women's events. It boosts their medal haul and has other financial rewards for winning countries.. In the 2016 Olympic Women's 800m Gold, Silver and Bronze were all won by men with this condition - and they all look very mich male.

Semenya has said how he used to enjoy playing football most of all, and he always played it with the boys. I think he was scouted for athletics.

Manxexile · 02/08/2026 15:25

SilenceInside · 01/08/2026 23:17

I don’t think it’s to do with the issues around Semenya and eligibility. The Women’s 200m for example only shows Flo Jo’s WR and no CW record. I think their data is just a bit crap.

I think you're right - their information is simply defective.

The 200m women's CG record holder is elaine Thompson-Hera of Jamaica set at the last games in birmingham 2022.

I don't think there's anything dodgy going on - just straightforward incompetence

Millie767 · 02/08/2026 18:18

Dear bioessentialist Mumsnetters on this chat - if testosterone levels makes someone a man, does this make trans men on HRT men?

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