A double Olympic champion middle-distance runner is defending himself after facing backlash for being allowed to compete against women in track events without having to reduce his testosterone levels.
Caster Semenya claimed that being "born with internal testicles doesn't make her less of a woman," accusing athletic leaders of "turning women against women.
The 32-year-old runner was legally identified as female at birth but has a condition that means his body naturally produces higher levels of testosterone than the average woman.
However, in 2018, World Athletics introduced new rules that mandated athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) to take the hormone-suppressing medication to compete in distances between 400m and a mile while competing in female sports.
"At the end of the day, I know I am different. I don't care about the medical terms or what they tell me, or my testosterone, you know, being born without a uterus, being born with internal testicles — those don't make me less of a woman," Semenya said.
According to the Associated Press:
World Athletics accepts that Semenya was legally identified as female at birth but says she has one of several conditions that are known as differences in sex development, where she has the typical male XY chromosome pattern and a testosterone level that is up in the typical range for a male.
Semenya has refused to take medication to suppress testosterone levels in his body, forcing him to be banned from several Olympic events.
The athlete has spent some time in court fighting the rulings. In July, the European County of Human Rights ruled in his favor in the battle against the rules about suppressing his natural testosterone. But the ruling didn't strike down the athletics regulation for Semenya.
The Olympic runner has promised to "fight injustice, fight for inclusivity and diversity."
"My testicles don't make me less of a woman" - Caster Semenya
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) November 7, 2023
Of course, this outlandish statement went totally unchallenged this morning🤡
Semenya is not a woman with high testosterone levels. He is a male with normal testosterone levels. pic.twitter.com/LKhkP7SnlN
Last time I checked women don’t have testicles.
— ♠️Audsauce♠️ (@Audjuice9989) November 7, 2023
He doesn't even present as a woman this is just a dude dressed as a dude with a dude voice.
— Jac Jax (@Starfoxy32) November 7, 2023
Science clearly states women do not have testicles.
— Tired of being politically correct (@USBornNRaised) November 7, 2023
Women have been objecting to this for years. But it was allowed to continue, despite everyone knowing Caster Semenya is male - as are the other DSD athletes who took awards from women.https://t.co/1SVuwSKVnj
— Genevieve Gluck (@WomenReadWomen) November 7, 2023
Caster has a disorder of sexual development called 5-Alpha Reductase Deficiency, which ONLY affects males. There is nothing female about him.
— Supernova (@One_Supernova) November 7, 2023