{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"14157317","dateCreated":"1252687467","smartDate":"Sep 11, 2009","userCreated":{"username":"loyamash","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/loyamash","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/iolaniwomenlit.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/14157317"},"dateDigested":1532141314,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Semenya","description":"I think that demanding a gender test from Semenya is cruel. She obviously worked really hard to become as good as she is, but it\u2019s amazing that when someone has so much success they criticize instead of praise. Although she may look like a man and run like a man, I think that she is really embarrassed about the whole situation and that if she were a man and she knew it, why would a man want to compete with women?
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\nHowever, if it turns out she is a man, I do think her medal should be stripped only because of the fact that you cant compete in a women\u2019s or men\u2019s race and be of a different gender. I know that is harsh because she would have had no control over her body, but I think the officials would have to follow the rules or else there would be a public uproar.
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\nI think that the reaction would be the exact same. Men are more athletic than women and so people don\u2019t believe when a women can compete athletically with men. So I think they would have demanded a gender test, and I think the only difference would be that there would be more publicity around the issue.
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\nI don\u2019t know what Semenya should do because the situation she is in just doesn\u2019t happen too often. Semenya should just keep working hard and prove everyone wrong. She should just maintain her composure throughout the situation. I definitely feel bad for her.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"14156077","dateCreated":"1252685699","smartDate":"Sep 11, 2009","userCreated":{"username":"ramintzl","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/ramintzl","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/iolaniwomenlit.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/14156077"},"dateDigested":1532141314,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Semenya","description":"I really enjoyed reading this article. I thought it contained pertinent information based on the discussions we have been having in class on gender discrimination. As for Semenya, I think she should continue to fight this argument over her gender. It seems to me, that her gender is undisputable as female. However, if the results return with a positive male result, she obviously should not be running in the female races and I believe that it Is only fair to the other contenders that her medal be taken and given to the next in line.
\n If a \u201cpotential\u201d woman won a men\u2019s track race and was accused of being female, I think the results would be the same, if not more heated. The thought of a man being outrun by a woman would create massive amounts of anger and annoyance within the male runners. They might even feel ashamed for their loss to the opposite sex.
\nOverall, I believe that it was inappropriate for them to demand a gender test for Semenya. This accusation most likely hurt Semenya\u2019s self esteem, and also, it puts her word on the line. I do not think that gender tests should be administered unless there is reasonable doubt that the contestant could be of the opposite sex.
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\n-Rachael Mintzlaff","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"14144001","dateCreated":"1252660856","smartDate":"Sep 11, 2009","userCreated":{"username":"alisongoo","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/alisongoo","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/iolaniwomenlit.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/14144001"},"dateDigested":1532141314,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Semenya","description":"For me, the situation, Semenya is going through, described in this article was upsetting and sad. If I were in her position, I would be absolutely be devestated and embarassed to be publicly accused of being a male. I believe in the importance of everyone following rules that have been pre-set. If rules are not followed then organizations and events such as the ones that Semenya participates in would not exist. Therefore, if result unfortunately reveal fraud then it is the rules that the rewards be stripped from her. However, Semenya's recent success on the track is an inadequate justifacation for demands of a gender test. I also believe that if the test was neccassary is should be a private and personal issue. If it were a woman being accused of racing in a man's event, the reaction would be less negative than it is in Semenya's case. People see men in women's compettition as cheating because of the males' natural physical ability. In my opinion, this type of diferentiation allows for the view of gender inequality through out athletics. I feel that Senmenya should keep her held head high during this rough time. If she has done nothing wrong, she and her family shoud have nothing to worry about. She has the opportunity to prove everyone wrong with dignity and grace. Semenya can be a positive role model for other atheltes who might face negativity from the media.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"14143911","dateCreated":"1252659888","smartDate":"Sep 11, 2009","userCreated":{"username":"Supergroovalisticprosifunksticat","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Supergroovalisticprosifunksticat","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/iolaniwomenlit.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/14143911"},"dateDigested":1532141314,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Gender Confusion","description":"This quirky controversial story helps highlight some important issues to think about. The decision to test for gender for a South African women's athlete is, to say the least, complex. My knee jerk reaction upon reading of this article is to denounce the actions of the committee to do such a test. How dare they initiate something with such little backing? Must they be fools? But no, one does not come to authority in an international organization by being a fool. There must have been some good indicators that she might possibly be female; an Adam's Apple perhaps or something else to that degree. I chose not to assume her gender status as either male or female, as their obviously must be a significant shadow of doubt to initiate something as controversial as this.
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\nI think it is a matter of importance whether the athlete is male or female. If biologically male, it's simply unfair to compete amongst biological females and such a statement while sexist and discriminatory, is true. One can not dispute that men are, on average, more physically capable than their female counterparts. Evolution has afforded men a physical advantage, and it'd be idiotic to claim otherwise. Yes, some women are stronger than some men, but that doesn't invalidate the general truth of the more physically adept male. And no, I don't believe it to be a double standard that a woman could compete in a male with no controversy. We laud athletes who reach higher levels of competition before they are of the normal age, but we don't allow 16 year olds to dominate in children's leagues.
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\nIf anyone truly cared about equally, we'd have co-ed leagues, and whoever makes it to the top makes it, whether woman make it or not.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"14143875","dateCreated":"1252659602","smartDate":"Sep 11, 2009","userCreated":{"username":"kimroy","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/kimroy","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/iolaniwomenlit.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/14143875"},"dateDigested":1532141314,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"semenya","description":"Caster Semenya was born and raised a woman. Her father and grandma seem to have taught her good values and supported her dreams. They have complete confidence that Semenya is a woman, and no one knows a child better than her parents do. It is inappropriate to demand Semenya to take a gender test just because she appears more masculine than her competitors do. Caster ran amazingly, but even her best does not surpass twenty other women in history, so it is not as if she runs the 800 or 1500-meter dashes with times achieved by men, as males perform significantly better than women do in track and field. I know that as a jumper on the track team, girls who jump especially far are \u201clike a man,\u201d and some of us call their technique (which is different from ours but just, if not more as effective in their case) the \u201ciconic male jump.\u201d Our jealously illustrates perfectly the attitudes of Semenya\u2019s critics who are pushing her to take a gender test, just like how critics of Lance Armstrong pushed him to take tests to prove he wasn\u2019t blood doping or using stimulants. Like my jumping team\u2019s reaction to these awesome jumpers, the public reaction to a woman running a men\u2019s track race would be one of support and amazement. A double standard is that women can compete in a men\u2019s event, while men cannot compete in a women\u2019s event.
\n Semanya is probably hurt by this situation, but she can hold her head up high with the confidence that she and her loved ones are supporting her every step of the way. Semanya should take the gender test to erase all doubt of her being a woman and gain the apologies she deserves from her accusers. Above all, Semenya can stand blameless before all accusations and recognize that now that she has accomplished her dream of becoming a champion track athlete, nothing else matters.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"14143645","dateCreated":"1252657628","smartDate":"Sep 11, 2009","userCreated":{"username":"prho","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/prho","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/iolaniwomenlit.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/14143645"},"dateDigested":1532141314,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Semenya","description":"I think it is perfectly fine to have her tested because she came from nowhere to take the running world by storm. Anyone that enters the spotlight will attract some scrutiny no matter who they are and what they do. When someone suddenly beats current times by a large enough margin, people may think something is up and may just want to check just in case they are cheating. I think her medal should be taken away if she the test says she is a male because there must be a line somewhere to what is male and what is female. If a women had won a men's race there would be surprise and upset because almost everyone expects the male to win the race. I agree that many women are faster than men because I, myself am slow at almost everything. Semenya should try to keep her head up and not worry about all the media coverage if she truly feels that she is a woman.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"14143429","dateCreated":"1252655268","smartDate":"Sep 11, 2009","userCreated":{"username":"aolsen24","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/aolsen24","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/iolaniwomenlit.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/14143429"},"dateDigested":1532141314,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"unjust","description":" When I first read this article I felt completely mortified for Semenya. I could not imagine being in her situation and being accused of being a man. I don't think it is right that people accused her of being a ma just because her features seem more masculine. I do not think it is appropriate to demand a gender test unless they have some concrete proof. I don't see how someone could actually ask a person that knowing that they could be wrong. I don't think that Semenya's metal should be stripped because although she may not fit to the qualifications of she was raised as a woman and doesn't have any control over what God made her. The sad thing is that I really don't think that there would be much commotion over the rules of a woman winning a man's race. I think it is because men in general are supposedly faster and more muscular than women, so it makes people think that he would have an advantage over the women. I think that Semenya should stay calm because although it is an insult. It would make it worse if she made a big seen, making her seem more guilty. I was just completely and utterly angered and saddened to read this. I feel compassion for her and hope everything works out for her.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"14143409","dateCreated":"1252655123","smartDate":"Sep 11, 2009","userCreated":{"username":"studloaf","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/studloaf","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/iolaniwomenlit.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/14143409"},"dateDigested":1532141315,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Semenya","description":"I am definitely not surprised at all about the test. Whenever somebody wins something big, it's only natural that people will have speculations. I definitely don't feel it's right to demand that she has to have a gender test. Especially to have her whole accusation so public. It must be very hard enough as it is to live life without a lot of gossip to occur about her. I feel that she should have this test done for her own sake in order to prove that she earned her medal just like all of the winners before her. How low can these people be to taint an athletes athlete's title as champion? She should take the test with dignity and show all these people that she won this championship fair and square. If this were a woman winning a man's race, there would be less need of all these accusations. Obviously it would be unwise for a man to use estrogen to better themselves athletically because estrogen is different from testosterone. It makes sense that there would be less controversy. The media would still make a relatively big deal about the win because that's what the media does. However, there is no feeling of violation at all if a woman is to win a man's competition. This is because it is proven with the times of these runners that males tend to be faster than females. These types of accusations are not right, but it is understandable considering the major effects of society on our minds.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"14142555","dateCreated":"1252650654","smartDate":"Sep 10, 2009","userCreated":{"username":"dramatic_superstar101","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/dramatic_superstar101","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/iolaniwomenlit.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/14142555"},"dateDigested":1532141315,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Semenya Conflict","description":" Firstly, I am very confused. Semenya is a woman with more testosterone than average women, if I understand correctly. Therefore, just by going off of looks, why would people judge her? I know people will always be human and make fun if someone isn\u2019t \u201cnormal\u201d but why does there have to be such a public worldwide act of humiliation towards this woman who should be having some of the happiest days of her life being the fastest woman in the world this year??? So, NO, I do not think it appropriate for Semenya to take a gender test.
\n Secondly, if the results of such an inappropriate gender test come back positive, please for goodness\u2019 sake, give the woman her title and her medal. She is still a woman; she must have the same reproductive system, biological chemistry, etc. That which makes her a woman has not changed. If she has a medical condition that increases her testosterone hormones, it is not her fault so why punish her for it?
\n However, I do admit, I can see how it is controversial because women are built less athletically than men and tend to be slower and weaker than them. It would seem unfair if and only if Semenya was a man (which she is not) competing in a woman race. If a woman beat out men in a men\u2019s race, everyone would see it as an accomplishment, yet another double standard of the genders.
\n In my opinion, Semenya should just keep running. She knows the truth, her family knows the truth, and God knows the truth. She is a woman, born a woman, raised a woman, and will remain a woman despite differing levels of hormones. I think she should ignore the media and not let all this bad gossip and speculation hurt her. If she wishes she can choose to decline or take the gender test because it won\u2019t prove a thing.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"14142395","dateCreated":"1252650085","smartDate":"Sep 10, 2009","userCreated":{"username":"peaceispossible808","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/peaceispossible808","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/iolaniwomenlit.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/14142395"},"dateDigested":1532141315,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Semenya issue","description":"I definitely do not think it is right for Semenya to have to take a gender test. I think the losers of the race are being sore losers and therefore are making up any excuse for Semenya's speed like the fact that she is actually male. I can understand if an athlete was taking supplements to increase their strength or speed but the article clearly states that Semenya has always thought she was a woman which means that she hasn't taken any such supplements. The article also stated that there are records of faster running women therefore Semenya's speed is not extremely unusual for a female. Semenya was simply born with an unusually large amount of testosterone for a woman and although this must have been hard for her growing up, she is using her abnormality to her advantage. She has been granted the gift to run fast and she has decided to embrace it. Was Michelle Wie's gender questioned because she is one of the top golfers in the world? I think Semenya absolutely deserves to keep her medal. She was made to be a runner and she should therefore be able to compete in races and be granted awards when she has won.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]}],"more":true},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}