The Way That Caster Semenya Is Being Treated Is Disgraceful

She is being violated by the International Association of Athletics Federations and the press. The IAAF is in violation of their own privacy rules, the fact that gender testing was being done should have NEVER have been made public. The results of the testing should have been a secret and not blab all over the headlines. It shows the bias and bigotry that these sports organization have for gays, lesbian and gender variant people. It is in direct violation of the UN declaration of Human Rights.

The Belfast Telegraph writes…

Why gold winner Semenya is right to feel violated

Tuesday, 15 September 2009
One of the hazards for women in the public eye is an unrelenting inspection of their bodies.
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The sensational headlines demonstrate how poorly international sport is regulated; the quest for excellence has got mixed up with commercial imperatives, leaving governing bodies desperate for athletes who will break records and attract sponsorship.

Black women have suffered for centuries because they've been judged by white European standards of beauty, and it's hard not to see unconscious stereotypes at work in the reaction to Semenya's appearance. The phrase 'real woman' has been bandied about a lot, and I suspect that the IAAF's general secretary, Pierre Weiss, was trying to help when he waded clumsily into the debate. "It is clear that she is a woman but maybe not 100%," he said last week.

That is a prejudicial statement to be made by the head of the IAAF, it is a disgrace the way that they are treating her.

The Mississippi State University paper writes…

Plight of intersex runner reflects society's prejudice
Oddly Appropriate
Julio Cespedes
Issue date: 9/15/09 Section: Opinion

Intersexuality both disturbs and frightens people because it threatens the fundamental and sometimes even essential idea of how our world is created. When a baby is born the first question we rightly ask is whether it is a girl or a boy. What'll it be? Pink or blue? But the truth is nature and creation aren't quite that simple or perfect.
…
We cannot assume all men and women are "equal." Not all men are as fast as Usain Bolt. Similarly, not all women are "equal," and I'm sure varying testosterone levels are indeed part of that variation. I admit that there is some imaginary line at which a division should be drawn, but please realize that the presence of testosterone is not the lone marker of maleness. It is so much more complex.
So yes, Mokgadi Caster Semenya could very well be an XY woman. An amazing, hardworking and inspiring one. Yes, she has flowing muscles, but have you seen the other female athletes she races against? I feel nothing but shame and disgust at the way her situation has been handled, and I sincerely hope her career does not end as a result of this.

According to some news accounts she has been placed on suicide watch, MedIndia reports that,

Lawmaker Butana Komphela, chair of South Africa's sports committee, was quoted as saying: "She is like a raped person. She is afraid of herself and does not want anyone near her. If she commits suicide, it will be on all our heads. The best we can do is protect her and look out for her during this trying time."

South African athletics officials confirmed Semenya is now receiving trauma counselling at the University of Pretoria.

Its time to end the hate of people who are different, its time to end bigotry.