http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8243553.stm

In the literature I could find at the time were two examples of men who had children as men undergoing a change and having children as women (this is counter to expectations and there was not much in explanation) In one case it got dicey as the man was Muslim and with three wives and it caused a bit of stir legally till all 4 were declared a harem that had lost its man. I read this 40 years ago and the details are sketchy. However the progress from female to male is standard issue in grouper, and many species, and all(?) birds are referred to as YY & WY as the female of the species carries the odd gene.

There is also a rather famous race of lizards that have no males at all as the first splitting creates a clone instead of an egg. As I said it was 40 years ago and primarily a literature search, though I was able to get a single fish that changed, going from female to nothing to male, according to my professor who was able to distinguish what he was looking at far better than I could.

But what was obvious is that what happens is never cut and dried just because someone put a label on it and the pigeon holes you put things in reflect how your mind orders them and not what is happening.

When Sport SA announced Semenya as a competitor in their team for the World Championships then the IAAF put their foot down and demanded a test, which was done, but the results hadn’t come out by the time of the competition. Sport SA, worried that she would be disqualified before the awards were handed out, leaked the story to the press.

I.e. the IAAF was attempting to handle it sensitively, but they’re dealing with a munchkin country. It is appalling the way this is being handled, but I’m not sure – now that the story is out – what should be done to ameliorate the damage.

Thank you for sharing this story – it needs exploration.

She comes from an incredibly rural and ignorant part of South Africa. These rural areas still stone “witches” to death. Introducing a topic as complex as interssexuality in the context of this debate would be difficult enough. Politicising it, as the South African government is doing, almost ensures that Semenya will be cast out of her family and her village should she be found to be interssexual.

Instead of patiently waiting for the results and declaring that, irrispective of gender, Semenya is still a great athlete, the government has announced that the test is racist, sexist and regard it as a slight against the nation.

To answer Dr S, there is no discussion whatsoever in South Africa about the nature of gender and interssexuallity. I don’t think anyone is prepared for how Semenya will be treated should the results come back inconclusive.

The real problem is the way the South African government – like the Soviets before them – have chosen to politicise the life of one person and, in so doing, make that person’s life a misery.

Ubertramp: I agree, it doesn’t feel very satisfying, but then have a look at the “special” Olympics and the largely bizarre and arbitrary categorisations that take place there. It can be done, it just takes a little imagination.

And remember, there are some 6 million transsexuals in the world…