Caster Semenya

I don’t watch TV, so I have no idea who this lady is.

My thoughts on this is if you have female dna your a women. No mater what chemical imbalance you have.

I look at it like this, i am a man, as is Usain Bolt or Ranaldo, but I’ll never be as quick as him, as he was blessed in ways I wasn’t. What I’m saying is its the luck of the draw what your body is made up with.

I don’t by into this many gender stuff, for me it’s simple, your dna states what you are.

As if we start going down the meaning of body chemicals, do we then split athletics up in to boxing style devision set up, in stead of weights, in to full Male as the top division, full female as the bottom division and 10 devisions in between?

I say let’s stick to dna.

It’s not as clear cut as you think Steve. This is a feature by Ruth Padawer of the New York Times in 1916, long and involved but well worth a read. I found it 2 years ago when I was looking for something connected with a family issue.*

http://tinyurl.com/kbaajcd

Female humans have two of the same chromosomes: XX. Males have two different chromosomes: XY. In a foetus, the Y chromosome means it will develop as a male. If there is no Y chromosome, the foetus will be female. Differences and mutations in genes within a chromosome can lead to transgender people. Now that the whole LGBT scenario is out in the open, there are noticeably greater numbers of people born with these differences. They have always been born in similar numbers in the past, but were always suppressed and made to feel shame for their conditions. Still are, in many cultures. It’s why we look at some TV show featuring someone who has had a gender reassignment, and feel uneasy at the sight of a woman with persisting male characteristics, or a man who does not fit the stereotypical male picture of a man.

Nowadays it can appear that the human sexes are merging: it’s a very confusing time, not helped by some of the media, which can twist cases one way or another. There is no simple answer to this.

* The family issue was something that set me researching a few years ago, after conversations with another close relative about my mentally-confused, abusive mother. She was physically stronger and had a deeper voice than most women I knew as a child and was possessed of a savage temper. My dad was absolutely male, but I think he had learned long before I came along, to keep out of the way when she had one of her bad days. The only time he raised his voice to her was after she had hurt me badly  and he took me miles away to live with an aunt for a couple of years. She received treatment and when I returned she was milder and medicated, but I never felt anything for her after that. It was the conversation with a close relative which reminded me that mam had returned with a lighter voice. So that explains why I would take an interest in this issue of gender. It is not a black and white thing, it’s actually a confused and confusing thing. For me and my brothers, it caused arguments between us that often turned into fights. Elder brother was always trying to understand and get mother’s love, I had no interest in her at all and could not understand why he kept trying. Middle brother was her favourite in all things and was a target for both of us at separate times, as a result. I wonder how many families have been broken by events like this.

Sad that I get to understand why mother was as she was, when I am only 9 years younger than she was when she passed.

Bob. I found that an interesting and sympathetic account that showed both empathy and explained a great deal for you, about you and for us. I agree that there have always been those of less usual chromosome distributions. Though there is some dispute as to whether hormone disrupters now in the environment are contributing to any changes. Athletics is not the only place where the fuller spectrum of chromosomes can be found, prison populations, especially among the more violent segments have been said to show differences. Whether anyone accepts it or not, the world is full of bipeds which can be fitted into a range of different spectra, Asperger’s, Gender, Autism, musical capabilities and proclivities or choices, (in my case none and not many), Artistic abilities, navigational skills and so on. In some cases societies have reacted to be able to utilise the skills within special groups, artists, mathematicians and so on. For many the rub comes when the social interactions, wants or desires of a group collide with the attributes of some other. In some cases, the results can be more challenging for those affected e.g. Turners and many other body changing conditions.

Should a classification seeks to ‘gravel sort’ applicants, not on the basis of their ability at the pursuit but over some arbitrary pre-qualification that difficulties arise. If I need a trade’s person for example I am only interested if they can; (a) do the job the way I need it done (b) are clean and tidy (c) have reasonable charges, (e) can understand me and discuss the task in ways that I can understand, etc. I do not give a flying fig about any other aspect of their lives, though I might be less keen if they had some unpleasant side issues, e.g. cannibalism. Athletics and sports in general have evolved their own ‘gravel sorters’ though they are not alone, just look at the way female politicians are vilified, not on the basis of their political ideas, but because of their gender.

I am not interested in sports so it is not a touchy subject for me. I have worked with, managed and interacted with many thousands of people. All of whom must have fallen into one group or another without the need for me to ever know or want to know their physical, sexual, or any other aspect of their makeup. I have had blind, physically disabled and some with less visible disabilities, work for me. In some cases their sexual orientation was self evident, but so what, as long as it did not affect their work or our interactions? I only ever needed to consider any aspect of their makeup, if I needed to work round how their situation needed work place consideration, e.g. facilities for guide dogs, ensuring adequate verbal involvement, etc. as appropriate.

I still do not need to discuss whatever someone is; unless and until it directly affects me I do not care. Can I please encounter everyone on the basis of mutual respect on the basis of who rather than what we are? For me, don’t ask don’t prejudge is a good personal guide Let the evidence of my encounters with them be my guide to how we get on. So stick labels in the cesspit of unwanted goods. Nasty people are nasty people, whatever their skin colour, race, religion, orientation, gender, height, weight and so on.

I’ve known from a very young age that I was different from the so-called normal people. I also knew from about 11 that I couldn’t have kids because I wouldn’t be able to look after them as they would deserve.

I know now it’s autism.

I honestly believe because I’ve had major issues for many years that I just don’t give a flying *uc* about someones sexuality, physical ability, or lack of, religion or anything else.

Bluntly, if the person isn’t a knob, they are fine by me.

Bob, Nolan, I can empathise, so far as I am able with your situations and stories. Our younger daughter has a similar story. She decided when aged about 5 that having children was not for her for a range of reasons. As she grew our range of reasons for NOT seeking to disabuse her of her position only grew longer. Since she can, at best, only deal with parts of her life, catering to the needs of anyone else is not a viable idea. While she is almost certainly aware of this issue, it does not really feature very highly on her list of objections, the space a the top of the list is already too crowded.

On a different part of the matter I was trying to work out my relationship to a long dead relation whom I knew. I remember her as  powerful but not domineering presence in a room, with a deep, powerful voice and, before anyone wonders, yes she had three children. I was told she was one of the first women to drive in the area of Bristol, maybe in the city, though that had long since ceased to be something she continued to follow.  Her husband died young from lung cancer leaving her to cope, though the residue of her father’s estate helped her cope. Though a one time dynamic powerful person who was used to ‘just coping’ a fall at home rendered her almost unable to cope with life, so she was never able to return to her home. The change was extreme, I guess she had just burned up her reserves of strength and resilience.

As you said Bob, the world is indeed full of a strange species in us, but that does not stop nature continuing to experiment and produce new variations, with many probably doomed to failure.