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Reputed news organization BBC was slammed by fans for their latest interview with athlete Caster Semenya on the show Women’s Hour. It showed the 32-year-old middle-distance runner talking about her struggle of fighting the World Athletics for its new rules on athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD). However, fans were unable to connect to Semenya’s story.
South Africa's Caster Semenya was born with DSD, which means she has a higher level of testosterone in her body. Her condition indicates that her mass and strength are more compared to a female’s body.
Although she was born a female, her body consists of XY chromosomes, undescended testes, and naturally high testosterone levels similar to a man’s. However, Semenya does not wish to be labeled as ‘intersex’. Instead, she believes she is a different kind of woman and believes in embracing herself.
Till 2018, the two-time 800m Olympics gold medallist was competing normally with her body’s natural condition. She had also won the 800m race at the 2008, 2011, and 2017 world championships. However, Caster Semenya faced immense trouble when the World Athletics introduced limits on testosterone levels for female athletes. As a result, Semenya has been unable to compete since 2019.
Recently, when she appeared on BBC to talk about her struggles, a part of the internet did not support the athlete. X (formerly known as Twitter) users condemned her for wanting to compete in women’s categories, despite being a man.
One of the users wrote,
"A man talks about how his testicles do not make him any “less of a woman” on @BBCWomansHour"
The user also added,
"The women presenters going along with this are the modern day version of women who fought against the suffragettes"
Another user wrote,
"She fathered a child? Oh come on @BBCWomensHour , have you been hijacked by the man’s rights movement?"
Other users also expressed their thoughts,
Caster Semenya on her fight against sports authorities
During her interview with BBC, Caster Semenya shared that she embraces herself as a woman and accepts everything that comes along with it. She said,
"At the end of the day, I know I am different. I don't care about the medical terms or what they tell me. Being born without a uterus or with internal testicles. Those don't make me less of a woman,"
She explained that she believes in embracing the differences that she was born with. It does not make her feel ashamed. Instead, she feels special and great about her differences.
Semenya also stated that she was fighting as a woman for women’s sports. According to the athlete, women’s sports are not being taken seriously. Hence, female athletes must take charge of their own bodies. She believes that women should decide what is right for them and not let the other gender determine what female athletes should look like.
