Intersex in the news again

You may have heard about Caster Semenya, the South African runner who was forced to take an invasive test to determine her sex after, well, winning and looking mannish or whatever.

The results are back and Caster is intersexed. I always get excited whenever intersex topics hit the news because it give everyone a chance to discuss a topic that is fascinating to me: gender vs. sex.

There are some great comments here, including thoughts from other IS folks and a doctor.

It is absolutely insane (and ignorant) that anyone would call Semenya's IS status "deadly." I'll give you "potentially deadly," but as much as possessing breast tissue is potentially deadly in that you may one day develop breast cancer, or as possessing testicular tissue is potentially deadly in that you may one day develop testicular cancer, or as possessing a brain is potentially deadly in that you may one day develop brain cancer. Hell, getting out of bed in the morning is potentially deadly.

I applaud Semenya's cheery attitude about the entire situation. She has even dolled up for a magazine cover shoot. As for her running career, I wish her well and hope that concessions will be made.

Gender is gender and sex is sex, and sometimes they overlap and sometimes they do not. In the end what defines us all is our humanity.