I feel for Caster Semenya - I am a woman with male chromosomes

[tabatha]

My heart goes out to Caster Semenya, few can imagine what it feels like to have your whole world turned upside-down – as hers has been.

I really do feel for what Caster’s going though – the shock, fear, doubt, sudden sense of being very alone in the world. And the terrible dawning question – who am I? Will people still accept me?

Will anyone be able to love me, if I’m not a normal woman?

I found out the truth that I’m intersexed in a very sudden, shocking way.

Although I don’t wish to speculate on Caster’s diagnosis – that’s her private business – I want her to know that she is not alone. And only she can decide her gender – nobody else can.

Like Caster I had absolutely no idea that I was intersexed – nor did any of my partners. But my doctor and gynaecologists did know the truth about my body.

I was lied to – and my parents were too. This wasn’t a one-off. It was standard policy (until the mid-1990s) to hide the truth about all intersex conditions like mine.

I was 25 when I found out the extent of the cover-up.

The shock of suddenly being told the true nature of my diagnosis – with no support and after being systematically lied to for so many years – nearly killed me. I went into an emotional meltdown.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/more-sport/athletics/2009/09/14/i-feel-for-caster-semenya-i-am-a-woman-with-male-chromosomes-115875-21671255/

[LiberalAndProud]

1. Profound. Thought provoking. Sad.

And Caster is on suicide watch? Doubly sad.

[Kali]

2. I though YOU were telling this story until I clicked the link

thought the link was to her story

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. I thought the same thing -

maybe quotation marks - or some indication that the story was a cut and copy - would have been nice.

I hate when this happens - I just feel sucked in and duped.............................

[tabatha]

5. Apologies, I should have thought of that.

[xchrom]

3. kicking for all my peeps. nt

[roguevalley]

6. she is whatever she considered herself to be in my book. Female?

Fine. They need to accept it. Ambiguous sexuality is more common than most know and its a backbreaker. You have my hugs, honey.

[BlueInMass]

7. Wow

I cannot even imagine the psycological impact that has on a person.

[Eg-ptiangirl]

8. Caster doesn't only have male chromosomes

Caster has elevated testosterone level and . One can have male chromosomes but also have a defect that prevent the male hormones from doing any effect in the body becoming even more feminine than normal females cause normal females have little male hormone effects.