intersects even if you’ve heard the word
you may not know what it is and that’s
not surprising because intersex doesn’t
mean just one thing it refers to a
variety of different conditions in which
a child is formed with Anatomy that
doesn’t completely conform to what’s
traditionally understood to be male or
female by one estimate one in 1,500
babies is born intersex which would make
it about as common as being born with
red hair if that number is true then we
certainly all know somebody who is
intersex even if we don’t know it
and while intersex isn’t exactly a
household word last summer it got global
attention at the Rio Olympics caster
Semenya the lightning-fast runner from
South Africa
she took gold in the 800 meter but she
almost didn’t make it to the starting
blocks she was nearly banned from
competing at all after allegations that
she is intersex reportedly born with a
condition that causes her body to
produce extremely high levels of
testosterone something critics and the
women who have to compete against her
say is an unfair advantage high
testosterone is the most important
factor that separates
male and female athletes if you allow
intersex women to compete against other
women with their naturally produced high
testosterone it creates a very unlevel
playing field not everyone agrees that
testosterone gives elite athletes the
gold medal edge some sports scientists
argue it’s no more of an unfair
advantage than good nutrition or good
genes
so the tasks that policymakers have been
given is to basically prove that
testosterone jet-fuel that’s propelling
them and giving them male typical
advantage and so it’s not borne out by
their times but it’s also not borne out
by the science but in 2011 the governing
body in track and field instituted a
controversial new rule banning any
female runner with testosterone levels
higher than 10 nanomoles per liter
considered by experts to be in the male
range so say you a man or a
one is say you can compete each match of
eligibility to participate in certain
competitions so it places a ceiling or a
threshold limit on women’s natural
testosterone and if you exceed that even
though you’ve always competed in the
women’s category you’re no longer
eligible the ruling that caster Semenya
was sidelined unless she was willing to
artificially lower her testosterone
levels with drugs which she presumably
did and her performance suffered but the
pressure on her demanding public answers
to intimate question never led up yeah
they can make the whole decision I don’t
forget what I can do I can just help
other outlets like me you know and some
asked was the menu singled out not just
because of her speed on the track I
think what happened was really based on
her appearance that crosses some sort of
invisible special determine inity she
didn’t fit what people would expect from
a female athlete caster seemed destined
to miss the real game but in 2015 the
ban was lifted when a runner from India
Duty chod also barred because of high
testosterone levels sued the
International track and field governing
authority and won after sports officials
failed to produce scientific data to
back up their theory that testosterone
gives female athletes an insurmountable
advantage the scientific evidence wasn’t
there which is underlying the rationale
for the entire policy higher
testosterone gives you male typical
advantage and that wasn’t borne out with
the van lifted semenya went on to win
gold in Rio but in at least one way some
inea’s victory was bittersweet exposing
the raw emotions and deep sense of
injustice some of her fellow runners
felt this is a really sad I think in
heartbreaking photograph that sticks
with me
so after tester semenya had won her race
she went over to greet competitors who
had not meddled reaching out to try to
greet them in
remain in the embrace what it points to
really is a very sad heartbreaking
ending about who’s really harmed by
these policies and Semenya may have
another hurdle to clear before she
crosses the finish line the track and
field governing authority has until July
of 2017 to provide scientific evidence
about the role of testosterone in
athletes if they meet the deadline the
band could be reinstated and caster
Semenya could be stripped of her medals
and sidelined forever
[Music]
you may not know what it is and that’s
not surprising because intersex doesn’t
mean just one thing it refers to a
variety of different conditions in which
a child is formed with Anatomy that
doesn’t completely conform to what’s
traditionally understood to be male or
female by one estimate one in 1,500
babies is born intersex which would make
it about as common as being born with
red hair if that number is true then we
certainly all know somebody who is
intersex even if we don’t know it
and while intersex isn’t exactly a
household word last summer it got global
attention at the Rio Olympics caster
Semenya the lightning-fast runner from
South Africa
she took gold in the 800 meter but she
almost didn’t make it to the starting
blocks she was nearly banned from
competing at all after allegations that
she is intersex reportedly born with a
condition that causes her body to
produce extremely high levels of
testosterone something critics and the
women who have to compete against her
say is an unfair advantage high
testosterone is the most important
factor that separates
male and female athletes if you allow
intersex women to compete against other
women with their naturally produced high
testosterone it creates a very unlevel
playing field not everyone agrees that
testosterone gives elite athletes the
gold medal edge some sports scientists
argue it’s no more of an unfair
advantage than good nutrition or good
genes
so the tasks that policymakers have been
given is to basically prove that
testosterone jet-fuel that’s propelling
them and giving them male typical
advantage and so it’s not borne out by
their times but it’s also not borne out
by the science but in 2011 the governing
body in track and field instituted a
controversial new rule banning any
female runner with testosterone levels
higher than 10 nanomoles per liter
considered by experts to be in the male
range so say you a man or a
one is say you can compete each match of
eligibility to participate in certain
competitions so it places a ceiling or a
threshold limit on women’s natural
testosterone and if you exceed that even
though you’ve always competed in the
women’s category you’re no longer
eligible the ruling that caster Semenya
was sidelined unless she was willing to
artificially lower her testosterone
levels with drugs which she presumably
did and her performance suffered but the
pressure on her demanding public answers
to intimate question never led up yeah
they can make the whole decision I don’t
forget what I can do I can just help
other outlets like me you know and some
asked was the menu singled out not just
because of her speed on the track I
think what happened was really based on
her appearance that crosses some sort of
invisible special determine inity she
didn’t fit what people would expect from
a female athlete caster seemed destined
to miss the real game but in 2015 the
ban was lifted when a runner from India
Duty chod also barred because of high
testosterone levels sued the
International track and field governing
authority and won after sports officials
failed to produce scientific data to
back up their theory that testosterone
gives female athletes an insurmountable
advantage the scientific evidence wasn’t
there which is underlying the rationale
for the entire policy higher
testosterone gives you male typical
advantage and that wasn’t borne out with
the van lifted semenya went on to win
gold in Rio but in at least one way some
inea’s victory was bittersweet exposing
the raw emotions and deep sense of
injustice some of her fellow runners
felt this is a really sad I think in
heartbreaking photograph that sticks
with me
so after tester semenya had won her race
she went over to greet competitors who
had not meddled reaching out to try to
greet them in
remain in the embrace what it points to
really is a very sad heartbreaking
ending about who’s really harmed by
these policies and Semenya may have
another hurdle to clear before she
crosses the finish line the track and
field governing authority has until July
of 2017 to provide scientific evidence
about the role of testosterone in
athletes if they meet the deadline the
band could be reinstated and caster
Semenya could be stripped of her medals
and sidelined forever
[Music]
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