NEWSFLASH: The Third World War

Hundreds of years ago, hermaphrodites were accepted. They were not seen as outcast, nor were they excluded from activities because of their genitalia. In fact according to Anne Fausto-Sterling in her book, Sexing the Body, the term hermaphrodite is derived from ancient Greek mythology, combining Hermes and Aphrodite. Sometimes, it is even said that Adam himself was a hermaphrodite before he divided into Adam and Eve. Hermaphrodites, in older times, were also seen as special and although they might have been seen as different, they were not judged the way we tend to view them today. It is unfortunate that it is the year 2010, or in the case of this article 2009, and we still cannot seem to look past the outer layer. Society is too focused on this patriarchal society that we refuse to accept anything that is out of the ordinary. Hermaphrodites today are ostracized and there is no doubt about that. But being experimented on as if a human was a dead frog in a science class seems unethical, yet this happened to 18 year-old Caster Semenya as if it were routine procedure. As if the poor girl did not have to deal with enough, the media and the IAAF (international governing body for athletics) had to make her life a little harder. Although hermaphrodites have gained some acceptance into society, it is still a current problem that our society refuses to give the same respect and treatment to these unique human beings, as given to all other men and women.

This article deals with South African runner Caster Semenya. Semenya won the 800 meter gold medal at the World Athletic Championships in August 2009. The event was held in Berlin and Semenya set the best women’s time in the world in the year 2009. Although the IAAF claimed they were questioning Semenya’s gender prior to the race, it was this event in Berlin that caused them to run the tests. They claimed that her performance in previous races caused them to question her masculine characteristics.

“Under IAAF rules, any time there is suspicion about an athlete's gender, the athlete can be asked to attend a medical evaluation before a panel consisting of a gynecologist, an endocrinologist, a psychologist, an internal medicine specialist and an expert on gender issues.” – CNN

The media, prior to the release of the results, claimed that Semenya was indeed a hermaphrodite. It was said that she had no ovaries, but rather internal testes. The IAAF warned the public to be very careful about what they choose to believe in the media. Unfortunately, South Africans didn’t take it too well. Her spokesperson claimed that she is just a normal girl, living her life and enjoying her youth. He made it clear that Semenya was enjoying becoming a young woman.

So how does this happen? How does the media feed off this innocent and very talented young woman? One would think that in the year 2010, the world would be accepting of all sorts of people, yet we still face this unnecessary and undeserved hatred. Caster Semenya was born a hermaphrodite, yet she was raised as a woman. She succeeded in life, so far, as a woman. Now she may even face losing her medal because society says there cannot be a physically different woman competing in international competition. In Anne Fausto-Sterling’s book she talks about how doctors used to simply assume that there were only two sexes. And that it was unethical for a baby to remain a hermaphrodite, so the parents had to make a choice. Unfortunately, they tend not to think about the possible problems down the road for these innocent children. The most obvious would be that the doctors and the parents made the wrong choice. However, this problem is one that society often overlooks. What if the child embraces the gender that he or she has received, but society won’t accept it? In the case of Caster Semenya, she accepted her gender and succeeded. Unfortunately, society does not feel the same way. She had to undergo a multitude of tests, just to decide if she was eligible to compete. There are many complications in this situation, and it is ill-fated that this 18 year-old had to be in the middle of it. Society has still yet to come to any type of conclusion or acceptance about hermaphrodites, and that became clear through runner Semenya.

There is another article that runs parallel to the previous one and I believe it is just as important. Caster Semenya, after all the allegations and media trouble, posed for a magazine cover. Contrary to her usual tied-back hair and runner’s uniform, she was posed with her hair down, all dolled-up, in feminine clothes. Semenya felt the need to prove her womanhood after all the allegations, and who could blame her? However, it is a flaw of society that a perfectly healthy human being needs to prove to the world her gender. In Jeffrey Eugenides novel, Middlesex, Calliope faces the same problems as she lives her life as a male in a woman’s body. Luckily for Semenya, she is happy with her gender, however she still feels as though she needs to prove herself. Ariel Levy talks about raunch culture and the need for women to proclaim their feminine sexuality. Is this the same situation? Is Caster Semenya just like Danica Patrick or other female athletes who exploit their bodies as sexual objects?

South Africa is irate at the current situation, as any country in support of their young athletes should be. “South Africa will fight back if Semenya is excluded from further competition, Stofile said, adding, "It will be a third world war." Says the CNN article. The problem hermaphrodites face in our society is ongoing, and the solution could take years. If we do solve one part of the issue, another incident is bound to arise putting girls like Caster Semenya through hell. The only real solution is for society to change. Society needs to be more accepting and more understanding. Caster Semenya trained just as hard as her competition, she worked towards her goal and achieved it. Now, societies “standards” are threatening to take away all her hard work. The world needs to understand that it is no longer okay to just be black and white. There is such thing as in between and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Caster Semenya deserves the same respect that the other men and women runners receive, regardless of what her genitalia looks like. The only way for this problem to be solved is for society to change.