Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Ain't I a Woman?
A young 18-year old track star was recently forced to undergo gender tests because she was accused of lying about her gender. Now that the results have returned claiming she is a hermaphrodite, she is now faced with a new set of questions and dilemmas about her future career in the sport she loves. This brings up the true question: who decides what is to be deemed a "man or woman"? Is it fair for someone to be subjected to such public humiliation, especially at such a young age? Most importantly, is this sexism at work or an attempt to be "fair" to the other female competitors?
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Tenicia, I really hope you get some great responses to your question about gender fairness. It is a core question that, when we consider it in this circumstance, can inform our ideas about all 'non-traditional' gender expressions.
ReplyDeleteGood job!
I was reading the another blogger's post (her blog is called Double X)about Semenya and she brought up some great points. Some people say that she shouldn't compete with such high levels of testosterone because it would give her an unfair advantage over the other female athletes. However in reality, men and women have varying levels of hormones in their bodies. No one disqualifies a man because he has a deeper voice or bigger stature than other men; But in the case of women vs. "men" their seems to be a more rigid yet invisible "line" where once crossed, automatically puts your dreams and talents in jeopardy.
ReplyDeleteWhat an A+ response...
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