Published: September 11, 2009
Op-Ed Contributor
Aussie Paper: Caster Semenya is a Hermaphrodite, What About Lady Gaga?
By Robert Paul Reyes
"THE controversy over gender row champion runner Caster Semenya deepened today - after reports claimed sex swap tests have shown she is a HERMAPHRODITE.
South African gold-medallist Semenya, 18, has both male and female organs, it was claimed.
And sources close to the International Association of Athletics Federations - who ordered extensive tests on the teen after her amazing 800m win at the World Athletics Championships last month - say the results mean she could still be stripped of her medal.
Semenya is claimed to have NO womb or ovaries - and has internal testes, the male sexual organs which produce testosterone." http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2631482/Runner-is-a-hermaphrodite.html
Several newspapers including the "The Times" of Australia are reporting that South African runner Caster Semenya is a hermaphrodite. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will not release Semenya's test results until November.
If Semenya is a hermaphrodite, it's incumbent upon her to tell the world the truth.
An intersex person is under no obligation to reveal his/her unique gender situation to the world. An intersex person is free to take on the gender role that he chooses.
But if Semenya is a hermaphrodite, it's incumbent upon her to tell the world the truth. She is in a unique situation because if she is an intersex person, competing against women gives her an unfair advantage.
If Semenya is an intersex person she is a fraud and a disgrace to the world of sports, and she should be stripped of all her medals. This is not a case of racism or discrimination against intersex persons, it's a case of fair play.
Recently I have written a series of articles concerning the rumors that Lady Gaga is a man. I have been criticized for delving into the private life of a celebrity. Lady Gaga's situation is different from Semenya's, she's suspected of being a man, not a hermaphrodite. If Lady Gaga is a man, he is a fraud deserving of our contempt. If a man makes no attempt to fooling people into thinking he's a woman, but dresses in drag for whatever reasons -- that's perfectly OK. But it's not OK to live a lie, and profit from a lie.
Lady Gaga has only herself to blame for the rumors, she's playing it cute when asked about her gender identity. If Lady Gaga is really a woman she should take the issue seriously, and forcefully deny the rumors.
As for Semenya within a couple of months the world will know the truth, it she's an intersex person now is the time to come clean.
Robert Paul Reyes is a NewsBlaze writer on Politics, Pop Culture and Pointless Pontificating. Contact him by writing to NewsBlaze.
* The views of Opinion writers do not necessarily reflect the views of NewsBlaze
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