pasithea | DESTROY THE FREAK!!!!

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32785120/ns/sports-olympic_sports/

Remember kids, if you're not cisgendered, you don't count. You can have all your accomplishments stripped from you and be mocked by every asshole on the planet.

You know. Personally, I'd like to see the sex segregation in the Olympics done away with entirely anyhow.

Billy Jean King beat Bobby Riggs.
Jackie Mitchell struck out Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.

Oh, sure... I know it'd be rough on male egos across the planet to see the boys get beat down, and they'd probably do what they've done every other time... Throw a screaming fit and demand to have women banned from 'their' sport.

*sigh* I think it's vile as fuck what they're doing to this athlete, but I hope to high Hell they make it up to her by giving her the opportunity to run against the men. Caster, may you rise above these assholes and burn brighter than the sun. Don't let them defeat you. Look at this as a new challenge. Demand the opportunity to beat both sexes and become the best runner on Earth.

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Wait wait wait. Those are internal male organs. Even if you vitally cared about segregating sports events, she certainly didn't think she qualified as male, why should the Olympic committee worry about it?

It's not like oooo, they snuck a stealth-male onto the women's event because they knew she'd have an unfair advantage. This is not like underage gymnasts or dosing yourself up with steroids. What possible advantage can you get in running from testosterone? What, she might get male pattern baldness and her sleek head might be more aerodynamic somehow? This just screams people being intentionally dumb to get results they want. The lady runs, fair and square.

As with everything else, it's all the Nazi's fault.

That's the only case I could find of an unambiguous male competing in women's events.

I vaguely recall reading long ago that the Olympics in ancient greece were performed in the nude because some female athletes beat the men in a bunch of events one year and it became a way to assure that only men could participate.

I can't find anything to support that via a quick google search tho.

Actually, yeah. Testosterone is a major steroid.

However, she herself from her condition would actually be desenstitive to it, and probably has more than many male athletes. Of course, that's not saying much, as most women athletes probably have higher than the median for males already. Testosterone production is encouraged by physical activity, and elevates the mood and muscle response, so those with more tend toward being physically active as well (feedback loop).

I was just listening to this story on NPR. I think it's shameful what's been going on, and I hope she gets justice. As well as a chance to kick a few well-deserved asses.

This is pretty intense. It seems she is the spontaneously combusted postergrrl for re-working the ideas of gender binary. Will they begin to have chemical metrics now for what "the line" is between male and female? Will cisgendered athletes start testosterone doping to push the envelope? Will intersexed women become the new superwomen athletes of some sports?

I hope Caster is strong inside. I feel for her. It's not like she is psychic about her guts to know she has different structures- structures that make a difference in her chemicals. It's an intensely personal thing for her to hear so publicly. It's also super awful to not feel like you have a place to work and shine. I hope she does get the chance to run against men and women and become the best runner on earth.

On the nice to see side it's cool that her father and folks in S. Africa are rallying around her to support her and conceive of her as having rights to her body and privacy regarding it.

Edited 2009-09-11 18:45 (UTC)

I really hope that the support she's getting from her family and S. Africa as a whole is enough. I can't think about it too much; I just get angry. This would be a lot to lay on anyone, but she's an eighteen-year-old adolescent. I really hope she didn't hear it on the news. That would be so crass. I hope she is doing okay.

Also, the journalists are really driving me crazy. Is it so hard to do your research, or do they just like the titillation of saying "hermaphrodite"? By all accounts, she's an intersexed woman, which - as I understand it - is different.

Semenya has said she is happy the way she is and appeared on the cover of a South African magazine earlier this week wearing makeup, gold jewelry and a dress.

Oh those tricky he-shes! Imagine the gaul to live her entire life as a female, and yet still wear a dress and jewelry when she finds out she isn't female enough for the patriarchy. Of course she couldn't wear a suit either, I mean, that would be just as dishonest, a pair of testis doesn't entitle a freak like her to the privilege of the patriarchy. No, from now on she should have to wear sparkly leotards and face paint like classic Bowie.

Am I not magnanimous? There are some who would say death to those who don't fit clearly into arbitrary administrative categories, me, I just think they should be relegated to their own glam rock ghetto.

You aim too small. Really the entire world should be Glam.

I'm not sure it'd work for her though. I mean... What would her stage name be? 'Caster-8 SemenYa'? ... Sheesh. I'm awful. Poor woman has a rather unfortunate name given the situation.

I hadn't even thought of her last name in such terms until you brought it up. My filthy mind must be malfunctioning.

You really should keep your mind out of the gutter anyhow... It blocks my periscope.

It seems that South Africa is standing behind "their golden girl" - which is what they should be doing. One of their citizens shattered a world record and now westerners are trying to undo it.

DESTROY THE FREAK!!!!

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