Issues of Gender and Identity.

Not for me, I'm 100% on both - well, gender, at least.

Instead, the case of 18 year old Caster Semenya, the female runner being tested on suspicion of being a male.

For a woman, especially a woman of 18, identity is something which is still being determined. As a successful sporting personality, Semenya has been subject to media attention and pressure which most would find it difficult to deal with, and to now have to face, due to a breach of confidentiality, millions of people who ask if she is really a woman would be demoralising and upsetting.

However, in the public eye, Semenya has proved to be strong and unwavering in her identity (not as difficult when you know you are indeed female), in a way which surely proves that her gender is not to be questioned. Recent tests found her testosterone levels to be around three times the 'normal' amount for a woman; and yet testosterone levels are one of the least conclusive tests for gender as they can vary so widely.

What is perhaps the worst aspect of this story is that she was told to be tested because she ran a race at an extraordinarily fast pace. To consider that this must mean that she is a man is frankly offensive, and something which shows the extent to which women are still considered weaker and inferior to men, and which proves that gender equality is something which is still far from being achieved.

Sq.