the_lady_lily | Caster Semenya article

I thought I'd pass on a link to an excellent article in the latest edition of the New Yorker. It's a very interesting read that covers the background and latest news to the story; addresses historical questions of gender testing and racism, drawing parallels with Saartjie Baartman, the Hottentot Venus; and looks at the South African reaction to Semenya.

For those who don't remember this, Caster Semenya won a gold medal in the women's 800 meters during the 2009 World Championships, held in Berlin. News leaked out about gender testing she had asked to undergo (well, I say 'asked' - more like she was told she was having doping tests done and then given gender tests, which are far from conclusive anyway). The International Association of Athletics Federations haven't decided whether or not she gets to keep the medal, and Athletics South Africa, the local body in charge of regulating this sort of thing, has been at loggerheads with them. There's a lot of politics, sexism and racism going into the mix; it's ugly; and it shouldn't fade away against the wallpaper. The article is definitely worth a read.