Comments on: The Curious Case of Caster Semenya http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/11/the-curious-case-of-caster-semenya/ A civil rights blog promoting informed discourse on issues of race, justice, equality and democracy. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:28:33 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Harolynne Bobis http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/11/the-curious-case-of-caster-semenya/comment-page-1/#comment-1271 Harolynne Bobis Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:48:16 +0000 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10370#comment-1271 There is a wonderful book by a Greek American writer, Jeffrey Eugenides, which won the Pulitizer Prize in 2003. The novel is called Middlesex. Again, it is the story of a person with the reproductive organs of both a male and female and how this person deals with the issue. While the novel is not the story of Caster Semenya, it does go some way in explaining the condition and thinking of another set of "other" (as well as our own) than what we have become accustomed. I highly recommend the book. I only hope that Caster Semenya can continue to do "what she is good at" as President Obama said because it would be an additional level of hell to have everything taken from you. What upset me most about this story was the way Caster was treated. The whole world knew that she was undergoing a gender assignment investigation and the results of that investigation before she was notified. That is the most shameful part of this whole episode to me. There is a wonderful book by a Greek American writer, Jeffrey Eugenides, which won the Pulitizer Prize in 2003. The novel is called Middlesex. Again, it is the story of a person with the reproductive organs of both a male and female and how this person deals with the issue.

While the novel is not the story of Caster Semenya, it does go some way in explaining the condition and thinking of another set of “other” (as well as our own) than what we have become accustomed. I highly recommend the book.

I only hope that Caster Semenya can continue to do “what she is good at” as President Obama said because it would be an additional level of hell to have everything taken from you.

What upset me most about this story was the way Caster was treated. The whole world knew that she was undergoing a gender assignment investigation and the results of that investigation before she was notified. That is the most shameful part of this whole episode to me.

]]> By: Darrel Williams http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/11/the-curious-case-of-caster-semenya/comment-page-1/#comment-1260 Darrel Williams Sat, 12 Sep 2009 01:55:03 +0000 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10370#comment-1260 The tests came back. She is both man and woman. So how do we deal with in between people? Reminds me of the plight of mixed race people. In this country we have a problem with folks that we can't put into boxes . . . man, woman, black, white and so on. Interesting piece. Thanks. The tests came back. She is both man and woman. So how do we deal with in between people? Reminds me of the plight of mixed race people. In this country we have a problem with folks that we can’t put into boxes . . . man, woman, black, white and so on.

Interesting piece. Thanks.

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