Questions de genre

[greenie_breizh]

Deux liens intéressants que des amies m'ont envoyé (j'adore quand les gens font ça :) :

Sportives et homosexuelles: le grand tabou. Je ne suis pas vraiment l'actualité en France et encore moins l'activité du football mais que l'équipe de France de foot féminine soit passée à la trappe ne m'étonne pas vraiment... l'article fait des remarques très intéressantes sur la nécessité de s'hétérosexualiser pour devenir une figure acceptable, et ça ne fait pas de mal de se faire rappeler qu'Amélie Mauresmo aussi a dû subir ce genre de choses avant de faire son coming out officiel.

Les filles brillent en classe, les garçons aux concours. J'ai grincé des dents (tout comme dans l'article précédent) quand l'article commence à parler de la différence entre le cerveau d'une femme et celui d'un homme, mais heureusement l'auteur se rattrape bien en partant plus sur des questions de culture et de social. Je trouve fascinant qu'on considère que les épreuves de concours écrites sont une façon d'évaluer neutre (ici contrairement aux épreuves d'oral, potentiellement).
(A lire vite car comme tous les articles du Monde il sera bientôt accessible uniquement aux abonnés.)

This reminds me of yesterday when I was on the bus on my way to UBC. Two couples got on with young boys - the couples knew each other and the entire ride the two moms were looking after the kids, talking about the kids and preschool and all that, while the two dads were standing a few feet back, never had to really pay attention to what was going on with their sons while they discussed work and school. It's a snapshot but it struck me because both couples were really young and I'm sure they would describe themselves as progressive and I'm sure the dads help out and are there for their kids and all of that. But it was striking to me how naturally they were on this bus embodying a very traditional image of parenthood. We think our generation is past the whole gender divide. I think we're just not paying enough attention.

Comments

[greenie-breizh.livejournal.com]

Considering the timing and circumstances of the article, I find it hard to trust that this is really what she thinks and wants rather than what she's been strongly advised to do and say. Obviously if she finds make-up fun she should get to do it, but this is not coming out now for no reason.

Possibly I'm too cynical.

[shiraz_wine]

I don't find it so hard to believe that she wasn't able to do things like dress up or put on makeup before now. In other countries, sports programs can be run very differently. Just last week, a story was published about a Chinese table tennis champion finally being allowed to date at the age of 25. And South Africa is definitely known for its runners, so I could see her having a lot of societal pressure to train, go to school, and do nothing else.

Also, she may or may not actually be intersexed - IAAF has not officially released the results of her testing yet.

[greenie-breizh.livejournal.com]

It's not that I have trouble believing she wasn't allowed to do this before - I have no problem believing trainers and coaches force young athletes to live spartan lives. I simply have trouble believing it's a coincidence that she would come out and say that when her gender has been under public scrutiny. I have trouble believing that these are her words, not because they sound unlikely for her to say, but because they are so obviously a very conventional and defensive response in the context of your gender being questioned.

But more than being doubtful about how much is her truth and how much is her publicist's, I simply dislike the timing of it. I mean it's not the kind of discourse that I would particularly like any other time "look I'm an athlete but I'm a woman too!", but in her case I find it particularly sickening. Leave her the fuck alone. I don't care if she likes to put on make-up or not, she should get to do it if she likes it, and it shouldn't tell us anything about whether or not she's "really" a woman.

(Just so we're clear - not annoyed at you, but at this entire thing :)

[shiraz_wine]

Not at all, that's exactly what I pointed out in my original comment - But come on, people. Would that magazine have jumped at the chance at giving her a makeover if her gender wasn't being questioned? Whether she likes to dress up or not, the timing is disgusting. That magazine was clearly capitalizing on the media attention to up their sales at Semenya's expense.

The comments about her not being able to have fun sort of stem from our HSM discussions - kids not being able to do the things they like because of societal pressure and media attention. I just feel bad for any kid (When did 18 year olds become kids to me?) who has to go through that level of media attention, and it's even worse when it's something that should clearly be a private, personal matter.