The world governing body for track and field is deciding whether a sprinter can compete as a woman, if she also has male sex organs. The International Association of Athletics Federations has taken up the case of Caster Semenya, a world record holding South African runner. Semenya, has undergone tests to prove that she is a female after claims to the contrary. Michel Martin discusses the topic with Doctor Eric Vilain, an expert in the field of intersex science and identity.
I never gave much thought to the fact that there's no single definition of male and female. There are people clearly one or the other, but how to distinguish the ones that aren't? Sexual identity is one thing, where it's very simple to say it's up to the person to determine how they'd like to be identified. But I think this is the first time I've heard the issue come up in the field of sports, where it does seem that some sort of fair clear cut distinction will have to eventually be made.
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