Sep 17 2009
Dude! She Looks Like A Lady
Like the Aerosmith song Dude She looks Like A Lady happened in real life when Runner Gold Medalist Caster Semenya proved to be an hermaphrodite, then war came and people started to ask if she was worthy to compete in the women category due the male characteristics she has; and even so far because of her gender condition and the discrimination Carter has suffered due her victory. People like Magic Johnson and the President of the Athelics of South Africa Leonard Chuene have expressed disconfort toward the reaction of the people because Caster Semenya won fair and square. The IAAF’s handling of the case has spurred many negative reactions. A number of athletes, including retired sprinter Michael Johnson, have criticised the organization for its response to the incident.Prominent South African civic leaders, commentators, politicians, and activists have characterized the controversy as racist, as well as an affront to Semenya’s privacy and human rights.
The IAAF said it only made the gender test public after it had already been reported in the media, denying charges of racism and expressing regret of “the allegations being made about the reasons for which these tests are being conducted.” The federation also explained that the motivation for the test was not suspected cheating but a desire to determine if she has a “rare medical condition” giving her an unfair competitive advantage. The president of the IAAF stated that the case could have been handled with more sensitivity. On 7 September 2009, Wilfred Daniels, a manager for middle distance, resigned. According to Daniels, he resigned because he and other officials failed to tell Semenya she was being subjected to tests to determine her sex.
Speaking about the gender row in an interview with the South African magazine YOU Semenya later said, “I see it all as a joke, it doesn’t upset me. God made me the way I am and I accept myself.” Semenya also took part in a makeover with the magazine.
The Times reported IAAF general secretary Pierre Weiss remarking that, “It is clear that she is a woman but maybe not 100 percent.
One phrase: Stop discrimination!.
