Caster Semenya Defense of an Intersex Woman

[salvolondon]

i was wondering,do u have a uterus too?

[mishakailana]

@salvolondon I used too, not fully developed but was identified ie explained to me to be a juvenile uterus.

[mandela195]

Now you should be the one on TV explain this to these dumb media and athletes that make comments about things they dont even understand. im from south africa and ever since this came up i've done some searches that makes me have some knowledge about this..thank you every much for explaining this, because it helped a lot..

[mishakailana]

@mandela195 ahh Now that might be a good idea lol. honestly I do think that when it comes to the media and sharing information that they need to spend more time trying to learn first, what the person is willing to share. then learn about different conditions and then writing a detailed report rather then jumping into the spotlight with large captions and crap slogans that are meant to draw attention.

[mishakailana]

Personally I wish someone had come forth and tried to explain possible conditons that made sense, I also wish that this whole subject wasn't even an issue. I know that every person who hate to have all of thier medical or family issues published publicly whenever someone else saw or thought something about them was unusual, or unique. People's medical records are thier own and not the media's and no information should ever be shared without informed consent.

[vickie1701]

The report is now official. Caster Semenya can keep her medals. As a side note the last Olympic games axcepted 3 AIS women as women and can compeat as one. Elder Vickie

[mishakailana]

@vickie1701 sorry i missed this post the other day, I had actually read updates on Castor Semenya and am happy she has been allowed to continue competing.

[313bro]

Doctors and that kinda surgery sucks you r what u r !

[mishakailana]

that would depend on the condition. Also on whether an intersex woman is under treatment or not. many intersex conditions actual make a person weaker then a normal woman. My only real big point on this is people assuming Caster Semenya is really a man. that is nonsense.

Regardless of what she is, ie she is a great athlete. See way too many people do not understand the physical side effects of having an intersex condition. My example only used PAIS as a possibility and if this is accurate

[mishakailana]

though just a guess right now based on what has been leaked as accurate with no validation, then PAIS could explain her anatomy. And if it is PAIS and she is XY, then the so called 3 times higher naturally occuring levels of testosterone mean very little as she is not using all of it. again Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome causes her body to ignore alot of the Testosterone present, because it is ignored that testosterone is converted to Oestrogen. this is what people need to understand.

[mishakailana]

all naturally occuring and those who are uneducated about intersex conditions really should not be making statements about her being stronger or more athletic then another woman. Did Caster Semenya break a New worlds record? Have other women run faster? Could it be the other women weren't having as a good of a performance on that day?

Just making a comment because the other known women runner from india I believe who was stripped of her silver medal, because she was found to be intersex clearly

[mishakailana]

did not have an advantage over other woman she was competing against. The entire world needs to know more to understand, that having an intersex condition means very little. Alot woman had an advantage over that runner, yet she lost her medal because people do not understand that women are not just XX and men are not just XY. There are many genetic variations that make men and women and none should be disqualified, harrassed publicly mocked because they happen to have an intersex condition

[sheenathakur]

okay...you say "she can not use that Testosterone, her body doesnt recognize that it is even there, that is why she developed naturally as a woman."

so...can i ask you WHY it is such a big deal?...Its is pretty obvious that the media or whoever is claiming that she can't run the races has DONE therir research...

So, if being an intersex isn't giving her any competitive advantage...why don't they just let her be...carry...run and all of that?

'cause she has the same abilities...right?

[mishakailana]

No I said if she is PAIS she has limited ability to use that Testosterone, If she Is AIS She has nearly no ability to use, ie access the Testosterone in her body.

None of us Know what she has or even if she is infact intersexed.

All we have heard is rumors. I have yet to see one official report that is credible from any news media.

And the other big point is The amount of Testosterone in her, must be compared with the amount of Testosterone in the other women Athletes she is competing with

[mishakailana]

because that would show a more accurate levels comparison if she is a XX woman.

Hell see she could be an XX intersex woman, with ovo-testes or with CAH and both would also show more Testosterone in her body then avg woman. To date there has been nothing shared that is factual that anyone can use to explain what she is.

Just to make a simple point, She is not the only female athlete with a muscular build. Fact is nearly all the women she competed with have more muscular legs then she does.

[seand67]

If they allow Caster to race, than the other women in the race should be allowed to take some kind of enhancement to level the playing field, since she is 'juiced up' with a MUCH more testosterone. Fair Is Fair!

[mishakailana]

seand67, what you fail to understand is that when a person who is intersex and has higher testosterone levels naturally it means nearly nothing.

If caster is PAIS or AIS, she can not use that Testosterone, her body doesnt recognize that it is even there, that is why she developed naturally as a woman.

See the uneducated people like you do not understand how some conditions render the extra testosterone as useless, Instead what happens is it turns in oestrogen and feminizes them as women.

[missywa2004]

I am completely shocked and horrified by certain people's behavior regarding this situation. I don't honestly see how it matters. She's female. Regardless. I hope she goes on to only the best.

And thank you for making this video. =)

[mishakailana]

It is understandable, just not tolerable. See some people do not know any better, and once they learn then they have the ability to understand how we all are different from one another.

I agree with you, she is female, and its not hard to see, fact is she is as female as any of the other athletes she was competing against and the only real shocking thing about her life, is the drastic improvement in that 800M race. That was a record for herself I believe.

[chipleyandfelix]

You still look like a male, are you taking female hormones or anything?

[antigeekess]

Grrrrrrrr.

Not amused.

[mishakailana]

yes chipleyandefelix, what you dont see or understand is that I have several conditions so I will never look like the girls that you think i should look like. I dont mind the knock, or slam, just be aware that when a person is intersex, the conditions they have if untreated for years just makes it even harder to do anything with.

[mishakailana]

plus that was a jeans and t-shirt day, lol I am not all girly girly haha. Fact is I would make a Good Butch Lesbian. I swear see some people don't understand the difference between being an Intersex True-hermaphrodite and being male or female. See I am just In the middle of the two Binary Genders and it does suck hard when people do not understand what that actually means.

[antigeekess]

What a kind  and thoughtful vid to make.

I think 'you' are a true champion, K.

:)

[mishakailana]

oh, hmm,, no I am just annoyed most of the time and love slamming doctors for being stupid and bigoted.

[cynthianhoj]

I am really worried about her.....

[mishakailana]

Same cynthianhoj, it is never easy finding out we are intersexed. It is going tobe even harder with how the media shares her personal information. this is a similar experience other athletes have gone through, the tennis player this spring,early summer is a good example, Sarah Groenerht, hope i got the name right, Intersex woman, who made waves when the media announced similar information. It is cold when media missuse their knowledge sharing ability and mock what they do not understand.

[mishakailana]

I hope Caster Semnya has good friends and family close by to get support from, I also hope she has accurate information on her condition and treatment options if any are needed. I would love to hear she has ovo-testes and is a true-hermaphrodite. Would give me one more Champion to look up too and you know have one more person who can tryumph over adversity. She is an amazing young woman. No matter the condition, unless she decides she is male. her choice not the media's, not some docotrs, hers -

[mishakailana]

alone to decide what she is regardless of the condition present. I hope she isn't torn apart by all the bigoted idiots in the world. She was born unique, special, gifted, and hope she is allowed to continue to compete, because people like her, need to be accepted for who they are and not what some doctors say they are. We are all different because we were meant to be.

[Rogue1KiwiXXY]

According to my old fashioned, out dated, incomplete information from the pre-eminent Endocrinology text books, used by many institutions that train Doctors, all one needs to be a True Hermaphrodite is testicular and ovarian tissue in the same structures, otherwise known as OvoTestes. Thanks for your video it's good to see the educated Intersex teach the ignorant masses a thing or two!

[mishakailana]

I do believe I mentioned what a Hermaphrodite is, lol. And i know your textbook you use. Alot of it is accurate, only issue i have with your use of it is that it is also incomplete. That is due to it being older really. There is more accurate and more detailed information available if you look for it.

as far as Caster Semenya goes, we just don't know what condition she has, so far its unofficial rumors being mentioned and that is junk information. Looking for facts not rumors.

[Rogue1KiwiXXY]

Of course the books aren't complete, to be complete a history of humankind would be needed. I don't think any book can do that! Re: Caster we're probably never going to know what she is or isn't, all we're ever going to be told is whether she is eligible to compete as a woman. This whole thing has been really badly mishandled by the IAAF They should never have made a public statement of their enquiry, there was a problem known of before the event that's when they should have acted, in private!

[mishakailana]

very true on both statements you made.

Generally though the issue i generally have when you use what is written as the only trueth. the Williams Medical Textbook of Endocrine disorders is descent about explaining conditions but doctors know that alot of the information reported is just the usual symptoms common to conditions and many people who have those conditions will have others that are not common to the condition.

Caster I hope has the ability to overcome all the crap she faces.

[mishakailana]

well there is no way of knowing whether or not any of that information will be made public. Fact is that information is hers to share not some commitee or some news reporter. Seriously the media has treated this whole situation like it is some big joke or as though she had blatantly cheated and at no time has she done anything wrong. Seriously she is not the only intersex athlete that competes. I would love to see her fellow competitors tested just to show how similar she is to them.