A Resolution, Finally

Nearly a year ago, I wrote about the curious case of Caster Semenya.

For those of you who have understandably forgotten, Semenya is a South African sprinter who has had to deal with questions about whether she is truly a woman.
I wrote about the controversy here and here and we had a fairly lively discussion in the two comment sections. As you can see from those two posts, I mainly concentrated on the pain and embarrassment a teenage girl must feel to have the entire world debating whether she truly qualifies as a female.

I'm sure somewhere Sojourner Truth nodded her head in understanding.

Now, news has broken that Semenya is  cleared to compete as a woman, and she may begin running competitively in the near future. It turns out the speculation, and the original anonymous reports about the results of the investigation, were incorrect. After testing and consultation the international athletic federation decided that Semenya met all of the governing board's requirements for womanhood.

Well isn't that nice.

I've already expressed my outrage and suspicions about the original questions. I've expressed anger at the way the initial incorrect news was leaked. Now, I find myself struggling to determine how I feel. Sadly, and I mean this for myself not for Semenya, I think my main emotion is ambivalence. I don't feel vindication, nor can I profess to feel relief. Instead, given the time that has passed, and the information leaked about her physique, I don't really know if her reinstatement is a good thing or bad thing. For me, not for her, that is.

The questions about the runner's gender are like steroid allegations, or homosexuality rumors. No matter who says they aren't true, no matter how vehemently they are denied, the stain is just in the accusation. If Semenya had continued her dominance without these public allegations, there would have always been quiet grumbling and rumors. However, they would have remained in the background, something to be kicked around in secret but never broached in polite company.

With the allegations, despite them being refuted, Semenya is perpetually branded. The rumors aren't just reserved for the shadows, they can be broached in the open by those wanting to score points or appear intelligent. People can blithely discuss the limits of gender using Semenya as an example and nobody will find it strange. It will be accepted and acceptable.

That's the resolution that's been reached, and honestly, it seems like a bad deal for a young South African woman.










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