If you want evidence that people are endangered by not conforming to the sex and gender dichotomy much of society believes in, a quick google of "trans woman murdered" should provide many anecdotal stories. Questioning Transphobia points to worldwide violence against trans people: (http://questioningtransphobia.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/every-third-day-the-murder-of-a-trans-person-is-reported/) I realize that Semenya is not a trans woman, but she faces a lot of the same misgendering, fear, and hate faced by trans women and trans men, so I do think she could potentially be the target of the same kind of violence they face. If you really doubt that trans, intersex, genderqueer, ect. people are at much higher risk of being the subject of hate crimes, evidence is all too easy to find.

If you're looking for evidence specific to Semenya, the fact that she's gone into hiding is one indication she's in danger, not to mention the vitriol and disgust poured out in the comments on almost every story concerning her. Of course, I have no evidence that lots of people frothing at the mouth on the internet means any one of those people could do her physical violence, but it certainly seems to be evidence that many people wish her ill.

And frankly, hate and vitriol unaccompanied by "real" violence still take a serious toll — Semenya is not only reportedly been "shattered" by the news, she was placed on suicide watch.

Is that "real life" enough for you?

Would you like to defend this statement, which seems like a radical overreaction by an ideologue with no grounding in real life?

I do agree with you that this must be an incredibly traumatic time for her and her family. It also could conceivably put her in danger. The IAAF should be ashamed, and should find whoever leaked those test results (or fake test results, if it turns out to be false) and fire them immediately.

Thanks so much for your comment. As I understand it, the IAAF hasn't officially released the results of Caster's test, but it is considered likely that she is an intersex individual: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/8249948.stm

I couldn't agree with you more that it's a devastating situation for the athlete and her family, but also that her biological makeup does and should affect her ability to compete in women's sports. As BBC correspondent Gordon Farquhar says, "The IAAF has to weigh the interest of the athlete, an apparently innocent victim in this, with its responsibility to ensure fair competition."

Farquhar also mentions that Semenya's "condition" may be "treatable," eventually enabling her to return to competition. I don't know about you, but I find that comment rather upsetting, and certainly worthy of an entirely new conversation about biological self-identification and its relationship to the gender binary.

I hope that people who were complaining about how it’s not fair that “she” was being subject to these tests will apologize now that it turns out Caster is really a man.