I am outraged at this report! Not because of results of the report, but that it was publicized in the first place. Like who do these people think they are? For centuries now African/ African American women have been put on display. They have been examined, cut up, cut open, turned this way and that--not by the doctor but by society in general. I urge you to youtube- sara bartmann (Im still trying to figure out the technicalities of blogging thats why i didnt just post the video..anyhoo). For centuries Black women have been treated like some phenomenon. Im not a phenomenon, just a human. And yes, while we all uniquely beautiful and different- we shouldnt be that damn different that we have to be put on display for the world to see.
The other aspect that upsets me is that there is no concern for her privacy or her emotional wellbeing. This is a more common condition than people may realize. And some people might think, "Well she decided to be an athlete, she knew that everything she did could one day be publicized good or bad". However which ever way people try to qualify that, it seems that the same personal humiliation of one confessing that they are taking performance enhancing drugs does not equate to being "outted" as a hermaphodite, by force. It simply points back to the "othering" of African/African American women. I guess, we dont look normal, so why be treated as such, right? Hell no!
I guess being the born the way she is doesnt make her "really" human, so why treat her as such?We really have to think about what type of dialouge that we are setting up for ourselves. It just seems that instead of making sure that everyone is competing on a equal playing field, which would be the purpose behind drug testing, we are creating a space where people cannot be different.
Even though the IAAF allows her to keep the gold medal, did the IAAF leave her with her pride?
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