UPDATE!

Apparently, I can't spell. Caster Semenya's name is spelled Semenya, not Semenaya. I'm not going to change it, however, because apparently some other folks can't spell as well. And honestly, I want folks who can't spell to land here rather than the website that calls Semenya horrifying names. I won't link to that article, I'm actually sorry that I clicked there and gave them any traffic whatsoever.

Instead, here's an only slightly offensive story comparing Usain Bolt's treatment to Caster Semenya's.

And, callooh callay, the officials' behavior is being investigated. What should really be investigated is our collective behavior, however. We are the monsters.

Caster Semayana and Gender in Sports

That's a pretty pretentious title for what is mostly going to be a bucket o' links post. As soon as this controversy arose, we here at Mount Olympics began composing a brilliant post about gender, sex, and its role in sporting competition. The problem? We got distracted by shiny, shiny things and then... other people said it better. So this post will have three parts!

Part 1: Bucket o' links!



John Green is amazing.

Lauren McMillan is similarly amazing.
IAAF urges caution, which would be great, except that somebody kind of leaked the results.
"Results of the gender investigation aside, Caster Semenya’s humanity has already been sacrificed to Western culture’s desperate, frightened effort to maintain the fiction of binary, fixed gender."
Semayana gets a makeover for You magazine. Gah.
Time offers an incredible slideshow showcasing Semayana's triumphs and strength.
The science behind the scandal.
Idiocy of sex testing!
Semayana withdraws from race in South Africa.

God, it's just so monstrous.

Part 2:

This is not the first time that an athlete's gender has come into question. Here's the thing: sometimes people do try and cheat. I'll have to try to have more GoogleFu later, but I'm pretty sure there were a couple of instances of men entering women's competitions just to win. I'm also pretty sure they don't always win.

Here's the story of another athlete who had to deal with this gender testing: Santhi Soundarajan. And her advice? Don't let them win. You already won.

And don't let anyone stop you.