Debate Over South African Runner Spotlights Confusing Nature of Gender

When 18-year-old Caster Semenya blew past the competition in the women's 800-meter race at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin this week, she got more than a gold medal. The South African athlete ran straight into a controversy about both the nature of gender and hers in particular. Some other runners contend that Semenya, with her stereotypically masculine build, is really a man, while the more temperate governing body, the International Association of Athletic Federations, says it needs to determine if she has male characteristics that give her an unfair advantage. To settle the question, the IAAF has ordered tests by a gynecologist, an endocrinologist, a gender expert, and a psychologist. Gender expert Richard Auchus says