![]() ![]() ![]() Her career is a reminder that when people challenge perceived ideas about masculinity and femininity, their bodies can become fodder for public discussion - often against their will. But ever since she arrived on the global scene a decade ago, she’s been subject to constant scrutiny, as the media, the public, and her fellow athletes speculated about her anatomy, misgendered her, and argued that she shouldn’t be allowed to race against other women. ![]() Semenya, who is South African, identifies as a woman and has never publicly discussed her medical history. “What I think this comes down to is, Caster’s faster than white girls and she made them cry.” “Certain bodies are never allowed to be female, are never allowed to be women, are never allowed to just be,” Pidgeon Pagonis, an intersex activist and co-founder of the Intersex Justice Project, told Vox. But it’s also about what happens when an athlete - especially a black athlete - doesn’t conform to other people’s ideas about womanhood. Semenya’s story is about the ongoing efforts by sports governing bodies to develop gender divisions that are fair to all athletes. The runner appealed the new regulations, but on Wednesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against her. Many saw the rules as a direct effort to target Semenya, who is believed to have a condition that produces high testosterone. The rules, issued by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), require some female runners whose bodies produce high levels of testosterone to take medication to lower those levels. So said the reigning Olympic champion in the women’s 800-meter last year, in a statement challenging rules that could threaten her athletic career. ![]()
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