Finally, some good news! Caster Semenya has won her appeal against rules that required female athletes with “natural high testosterone” to reduce it with medication. Semenya had previously lost appeals to the CAS and the Swiss Federal Tribunal (SFT) but approached the European Court of Human Rights in February 2021 to fight her case once more. You can read the full report via the ECHR website [PDF].
While I knew that World Athletics had been transphobic as hell, there was one particular line from Lord Coe that I found puzzling:
“We have also taken decisive action to protect the female category in our sport, and to do so by restricting the participation of transgender and DSD athletes […] The decision has been taken in consultation with a number of stakeholders including 40 member federations, our athletes, our coaches and through the athletes commission, as well as a range of other community groups, including trans groups, UN experts, the IOC and Para-athletics.”
It’s very telling that “stakeholders” was used in this context, regardless of whether money and business were involved in these decisions (they invariably are but I won’t go into that here). I’d also like to know which trans groups were spoken to and what was actually said for them to agree with transphobic restrictions. It’s important to note that Caster Semenya is not transgender but this decision does affect the lives and careers of trans athletes due to the related nature of hormone testing, basic human rights, and the ability to compete.
Anyway, fuck the authorities and congrats to Caster!
(via Sky Sports News)