The gender of South African athlete Caster Semenya is being questioned by Sports Authorities. She was allowed to participate in the 800-meter finals Aug. 19 at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin. An all female race, but just hours before the race, Semenya ignited a global media firestorm over concerns that she is not a female. Gender testing is reportedly going to be done on Semenya and if the results comes back that she is not 100 percent female she will be stripped of her gold medal. She will be tested by an internal medicine expert, an expert on gender and a psychologist. It is not clear right now whether the rumors are completely false or if there is some elements of truth. One rumor is that she is an hermaphrodite and does possess some male organs. Meanwhile Semenya’s family stand by her. Her mother and Grandmother have both gone on record saying that she is a female. It seems that Semenya is getting punished for what some would call a masculine appearance. We all are born the way we are and some women have softer features than others. I don’t think that means one should have to undergo so much public scrutiny. I want to know how this concern began? Is it simply because she does not look feminine enough physically or is there some truth to this? For instance did someone see something they weren’t supposed to in a more personal setting? i.e. locker room, bathroom etc.. I am hoping that the concern developed from something more plausible and not because she was not pretty/soft/feminine enough to the sports authorities. This could all boil down to someone hating because of her talent and finding any way possible to humiliate and berate Semenya.

The most important doctor Semanya should see is the psychologist. She is only 18. I would hate for Semenya to have all the success in the world and be unable to enjoy it because she is being ostracized for something that has no basis of truth to it. However, they have already confirmed that she is going to undergo the testing so time will tell.