Caster Semenya Hermaphrodite? Result Says She Has Internal Testes

by Jon Azpiri | September 10, 2009 at 03:07 pm

2898 views | 32 Recommendations | 11 comments

A report in an Australian newspaper says that South African sprinter Caster Semenya may be a hermaphrodite, a person with both male and female sexual characteristics.

The Daily Telegraph reports that tests have found that Caster Semenya has no womb or ovaries, but does have internal testes. Track and field officials are recommending that she consider surgery because her condition is a threat to her well-being.

Semenya, 18, has three times the amount of testosterone that a "normal'' female would have. According to a source closely involved with the Semenya examinations IAAF testing, which included various scans, has revealed she has internal testes - the male sexual organs which produce testosterone.

Meanwhile, another report suggests that Semenya won't find out the results of her gender test until November.

The IAAF is considering stripping Semenya of the gold medal she won in the 800m at this summer's World Track and Field championships. They are also considering banning her from international competition. The IAAF is treading cautiously, however, out of fear of angering South African track and field officials.

For the record, the term 'hermaphrodite' is largely considered outdated and in Semenya's case inaccurate. If the report proves to be true, Caster Semenya could best be described as intersex. Research by Dr. Ann Fausto-Sterling suggests that gender is more complex that it may first appear, with many people having a mix of both male and female qualities.

If indeed Semenya is intersex, it is possible that she could continue to compete if the IAAF finds that her condition does not give her a distinct competitive advantage.

If Caster Semenya is allowed to compete as an intersex athlete, she wouldn't be the first.

So the point is that all these reports, regardless of their accuracy, still reveal nothing of the action that may or may not be taken. While it may be suggested that being an intersex individual, or someone who is "not entirely female" is grounds for disqualification, it is not. In Atlanta in 1996, 8 women "failed" the sex verification test because they had a Y-chromosome (strictly speaking, they had the SRY gene on the Y-chromosome). All eight were allowed to compete.

Source: sportsscientists.com

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Mary Richard

at 15:26 on September 10th, 2009

"I see it all as a joke," Semenya told You, a South African magazine in which she strikes a glamorous pose on the cover of the most recent issue.

"It doesn't upset me. God made me the way I am and I accept myself.

"I am who I am and I'm proud of myself. I don't want to talk about the tests — I'm not even thinking about them."

Rhonda J Mangus

at 18:16 on September 10th, 2009

Thanks for continuing coverage on this story, Jon! Would you mind adding the tag 'sexuality' so it will also appear on NowPublic Sexuality Special News Coverage channel. Thanks!

caj1

at 18:56 on September 10th, 2009

If this would be the finding, I agree with you. The key then, is learning what her testosterone level is at. Thanks, Roy for the added info.

Barry ORegan

at 19:36 on September 10th, 2009

I put it this way, she should keep her medal, it is as she says, that is how god made me!

Parmeisan (not verified)

at 07:46 on September 11th, 2009

It's not like she was trying to cheat or anything. I don't think that any results in this case should really cause her to be stripped of the medal. If I had come in second, I would hate to "win" that way.I can see that maybe they would rule that in future, she should compete against the men, though. Maybe. I kind of think it's silly that we split this by gender at all, but I guess I can understand why we do it.

rusty2 (not verified)

at 10:51 on September 11th, 2009

If Caster's condition was unknown before hand, there should be no reason to strip the medals. Moving forward, since Caster's self image is that of a woman and if Caster wants to continue competing as a woman against women, then the solution seems best that the testes be surgically removed. Problem solved . . . except it's likely Caster will not be as competitive since testosterone levels will then be significantly lower.

JasmineL (not verified)

at 13:49 on September 11th, 2009

It's not fair to the other women for her to compete. It is not a level playing field based on her current physical makeup. Because of unusual genetic makeup and her high level of testoterone which they believe exceeds what a woman produces, she has a advantage that the other women don't have. I don't think she should compete with women but should be moved over to the men's category.