Feminists For Choice

Here’s a bit of bright news to kick off your weekend. Runner Caster Semenaya will be allowed to keep her gold medals. According to GLAAD:

Today, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced that they will allow Semenya to keep the gold medal and prize money she won at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany. The IAAF also made it clear that her official gender-verification testing results will remain confidential.

So the bit about the confidentiality is a little bizarre, since it was already leaked all over the internet that Semenaya is intersex. In my opinion, Semenaya’s case wouldn’t have even been brought up for a debate if she had presented a more Western style of femininity. I think her story represents an intersection of gender, race, and class that is very problematic. Female athletes have historically had to overcome claims of being too masculine, but when you throw the issue of race into the mix, it’s a pretty sticky ball of wax. But kudos to the IAAF for pulling its collective head out of its ass and recognizing that Semenaya is a great athlete.