The Caster Semenya Gender Issue and Ambiguous Genitalia

This is somewhat of a sensitive issue so we’ll keep it toned down, but as we reported earlier this week, the question of whether Caster Semenya is really a female has brought to light the subject of ambiguous genitalia and how the condition may affect how people qualify to compete in sporting events in the future.

First of all, ambiguous genitalia is defined on Wikipedia’s page on Intersexuality as follows:

“Ambiguous genitalia appear as a large clitoris or small penis and may or may not require surgery.

Because there is variation in all of the processes of the development of the sex organs, a child can be born with a sexual anatomy that is typically female, or feminine in appearance with a larger than average clitoris (clitoral hypertrophy); or typically male, masculine in appearance with a smaller than average penis that is open along the underside. The appearance may be quite ambiguous, describable as female genitals with a very large clitoris and partially fused labia, or as male genitals with a very small penis, completely open along the mid-line (“hypospadic”), and empty scrotum.”

Intersexuality also causes the person to be ‘ambiguous’ in terms of gender, in that others cannot easily determine what gender the person is. That person would have physical characteristics of both males and females, and that’s where the question of whether professional athlete and runner, Caster Semenya, stems from.

In appearance, Semenya has male characteristics. The facial features, body shape and bone structure, absence of obvious breasts, even her groin area appears to have a noticible bulge as a male’s would. Couple that with the fact that she ran the recent 800 meter race in Berlin much faster than normal female athletes, with a time comparable to that of a mens 800 meter, and you can see why her gender is being questioned.

Since seeing this issue rise to the top of mind online lately, I’ve felt somewhat sorry for Semenya. She’s only 18 years old and now the world is searching for photos of her online and questioning her gender. Female, male, or ‘other,’ I hope this issue is resolved soon so Caster Semenya can move her career as an athlete in whatever direction is best for her.