Black Raven Dragoons

[Zancarius]

Well, this is certainly interesting.

Damorte, it looks like your article find has been making the rounds and has a couple more news outlets all worked up about it.

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl? ... 22/1840229

[Damorte]

What can I say, I'm on the leading edge of all gender-bending stories.

[Zancarius]

Evidently so!

[Tirian]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2 ... enya_.html

A bona fide hermaphrodite.

[Zancarius]

At first I was going to say that was disturbing, but I find it strangely fascinating. There aren't many people like that in the world, so I think she could provide an interesting case study for heavily androgenized females.

I'll say it outright: I know it's one of the weird things that makes us human in that we find unusual things about other humans and gawk. I'll admit--I've told some pretty awful jokes before. But in this case, I find it interesting. The only encounter I've had with this subject was via a college elective (human sexuality). While there was much discussion in the text about androgenized females, I can't recall there being any references to currently-living examples (applies to hermaphrodites as well). Maybe I'm overly optimistic, but this could provide further research for things like female exposure to/high production of male sex hormones.

Anyway, that's just my take on this. It's a shame she'll probably be stripped of her medals considering she had little choice in who she is. That's the saddest part. Worse still, she may face staunch ridicule as a "freak" with this information now openly available. While it's interesting to know, I'm not so sure certain things like this should necessarily be made public. I never pay much attention to the Olympics as it is anyway.

As an aside, this provides us with a moment to reflect on male/female athletics, particularly since the US Open (tennis) is still in progress. I find it interesting that female competitors are upset that they don't receive the same prize money as their male counterparts and yet they 1) compete in a separate series with other females and 2) only play a maximum of 3 games whereas male matches can go up to 5.

[Tirian]

According to what I had read, the international athletic body behind her particular event had asked -- perhaps pleaded with -- the South Africans to keep her out of this race until the testing, which had already begun, was finished. They were very worried that this would come out and create a crisis for the sport, embarrassing the governing bodies and the runner in the process. The South African delegation refused -- and now exactly this has come to pass.

[Zancarius]

While it proposes a dreadful position for her (particularly from potential embarrassment), I personally think international governing bodies over sports like this ought to themselves be embarrassed from time to time.

If it didn't have the potential to be so damaging for her, I think the consequences for the Olympic committee in general is rather humorous. They needed some excitement and drama. It's largely political anyway.

[alacor]

At first I was going to say that was disturbing, but I find it strangely fascinating. There aren't many people like that in the world, so I think she could provide an interesting case study for heavily androgenized females.

I'll say it outright: I know it's one of the weird things that makes us human in that we find unusual things about other humans and gawk. I'll admit--I've told some pretty awful jokes before. But in this case, I find it interesting. The only encounter I've had with this subject was via a college elective (human sexuality). While there was much discussion in the text about androgenized females, I can't recall there being any references to currently-living examples (applies to hermaphrodites as well). Maybe I'm overly optimistic, but this could provide further research for things like female exposure to/high production of male sex hormones.

Anyway, that's just my take on this. It's a shame she'll probably be stripped of her medals considering she had little choice in who she is. That's the saddest part. Worse still, she may face staunch ridicule as a "freak" with this information now openly available. While it's interesting to know, I'm not so sure certain things like this should necessarily be made public. I never pay much attention to the Olympics as it is anyway.

As an aside, this provides us with a moment to reflect on male/female athletics, particularly since the US Open (tennis) is still in progress. I find it interesting that female competitors are upset that they don't receive the same prize money as their male counterparts and yet they 1) compete in a separate series with other females and 2) only play a maximum of 3 games whereas male matches can go up to 5.

The US Open it is more about revenues. Male sports will draw more of an audience than Female as a whole. Therefore revenues for sponsors is a higher premium.

Women's Tennis is prob the closest there is in the two sexes as far as an audience and it is still far behind.

[Snobal]

At first I was going to say that was disturbing, but I find it strangely fascinating. There aren't many people like that in the world, so I think she could provide an interesting case study for heavily androgenized females.

I'll say it outright: I know it's one of the weird things that makes us human in that we find unusual things about other humans and gawk. I'll admit--I've told some pretty awful jokes before. But in this case, I find it interesting. The only encounter I've had with this subject was via a college elective (human sexuality). While there was much discussion in the text about androgenized females, I can't recall there being any references to currently-living examples (applies to hermaphrodites as well). Maybe I'm overly optimistic, but this could provide further research for things like female exposure to/high production of male sex hormones.

Anyway, that's just my take on this. It's a shame she'll probably be stripped of her medals considering she had little choice in who she is. That's the saddest part. Worse still, she may face staunch ridicule as a "freak" with this information now openly available. While it's interesting to know, I'm not so sure certain things like this should necessarily be made public. I never pay much attention to the Olympics as it is anyway.

As an aside, this provides us with a moment to reflect on male/female athletics, particularly since the US Open (tennis) is still in progress. I find it interesting that female competitors are upset that they don't receive the same prize money as their male counterparts and yet they 1) compete in a separate series with other females and 2) only play a maximum of 3 games whereas male matches can go up to 5.

The US Open it is more about revenues. Male sports will draw more of an audience than Female as a whole. Therefore revenues for sponsors is a higher premium.

Women's Tennis is prob the closest there is in the two sexes as far as an audience and it is still far behind.

In case you all don't feel like reading all of that here's a short summary:

Men > Women

:awaits Damorte's response:

[Damorte]

:awaits Damorte's response:

[Snobal]

Well played sir-- I mean, madam. Now back to the kitchen with you!