Dear Friend, 
Have you heard the news about Caster Semenya, the champion South African runner?
She’s got the world’s attention, but it’s not about her athletic ability – it’s about who she is, and who gets to decide her gender.
Her family and her community support her, but Caster has been shamed as an athlete because she doesn’t look the way a woman is “supposed to” look. And now the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) is making her undergo invasive tests to tell her whether she deserves her gold medal.
XX – why?! Why does Caster have to endure this violation of her personal privacy just because she looks different? Why does the IAAF get to decide who she is? I’m outraged. Are you? Then tell the IAAF to stay out of Caster Semenya’s pants.
Gender is not a science, and biology does not make – or unmake – a woman. Oppression based on looks, however, is real, and forces women athletes to adhere to a sexist standard that does not foster true competition or personal excellence. We applaud Caster Semenya’s skill as an athlete, and the way she creates more space for women – of all shapes, sizes and looks – to succeed. No one should be victimized for not fitting some arbitrary definitions of what is male and female.
Sincerely,
Ann Whidden
