LGBTQ Olympic Controversy
August 30, 2016
One of the last events of an eventful 2016 Summer Olympics was the women’s 800-meter race, in which Caster Semenya of South Africa prevailed on August 20th. Unlike most Olympic gold medalists however, Semenya was not totally met with praise and admiration.
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Many members of the media and even some of Semenya’s rivals were quick to discredit Semenya’s achievement.
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Great Britain’s Lynsey Sharp, the sixth-place finisher in the 800-meter final, said, “It is out of our control and how much we rely on people at the top sorting it out. The public can see how difficult it is with the change of rule but all we can do is give it our best.”
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Sharp was referring to the two-year suspension of track and field’s testosterone policy, which was ruled upon by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This suspension allowed Semenya to freely compete and effectively win her first ever Olympic gold medal. Track and field’s testosterone policy has affected Semenya over the course of her entire athletic career because the 25-year old South African was born with the intersex trait.
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To be born with the intersex trait means that one’s chromosomes, hormones, or genitals do not match the common physical composition of a male or female. Throughout her life-long process to become an Olympian, Semenya has been subjected to criticism, scrutiny, and even sex verification tests all because of a trait that she was born with. As a result, Semenya has never been fully accepted by the track and field community.
The Olympics are seen by many people across the world as one of the most important sporting events in the world. The games bring together the world’s most skilled athletes, and the medalists of the events are often seen as heroes. The Olympics have existed for many centuries, and the games have often acted as a way to unite people and athletes from many nations. In the case of Caster Semenya, her victory in the 800-meter race did not result in the attainment hero status, and her victory divided more than it united people. Overall, Semenya’s achievements were seen as a symbol of controversy.
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Individuals who think that Semenya is exploiting the track and field rules could not have a more mistaken thought process. Semenya was born with a trait that has made her have to live a primarily ostracized life. To think that Semenya would sacrifice the everyday feeling of inclusion in society and belonging in her own body just to be a good track and field athlete is on par with the ideology of privilege. Now, I am not sure if the comments of Lynsey Sharp were simply out of frustration or if they were due to ideas of privilege. However, plenty of the negative portrayals of Semenya seem to exhibit privilege ideology. Some even people in the sports community have even gone as far to exhibit the idea that sports are more important than inclusion and gender equality.
Having been an athlete and a sports fanatic for my entire life, I can admit that I spend too much time and put too much of an emphasis on sports in general. However, the treatment of Caster Semenya is completely out of line and unfair in my opinion. The sports culture has always seemed to be behind the times in terms of progressiveness, and it has never been very inclusive to members of the LGBTQ community. It is time for that to change. I believe that the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s two-year suspension of the testosterone policy was a step in the right direction.
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Since when is running around a track more important than treating people the right way? It has always been my belief that sports exist to take our minds off of the serious hardship and injustice in this world; sports should not add to the problems in our society. Therefore, sports organizations and especially the members and athletes within those organizations should begin to take steps towards being more inclusive towards members of the LGBTQ community, like Semenya.
