Gender Bender

You may think that I meant to write fender bender, but I didn't. Perhaps you have read about the plight of Caster Semenya, the South African female runner who won the 800m (1:55.45) at the Track and Field World Championships in Berlin. Against her will she is undergoing gender tests to determine if she can continue to compete as a female athlete. I can understand why South Africa is in an uproar over this. One would assume that this matter had already been resolved in a previous physical exam required for qualification purposes. The New York Times stated that Ms. Semenya has a "husky voice." I think someone better warn Lauren Bacall and Tracy Chapman!
I can relate to Ms. Semenya's dilemma. Over the years I have been called Mrs. Farnsworth many times on the telephone. My bank, Wachovia/Wells Fargo, even accused me of being a woman trying to sound like a man. That was after I verified all the security information they requested. Last week a man in a CPR class I attended said that I was not as masculine as he was.
It becomes tiring having to explain myself to people who cannot get it out of their minds that God did not create all men from cookie cutters. Why do stereotypes have to run so rampant, even in the Church? When will we learn to accept and even embrace our differences which allow us to minister to different kinds of people who need God's love. These stereotypes are perpetuated by books such as Wild at Heart by John Eldredge that make broad overgeneralizations that do not fit every man, Christian or not. Even though I have come to terms with it over time, I still find it disheartening. I certainly wish Ms. Semenya and her family well as they deal with this ordeal and invasion of privacy. God help us all to accept ourselves as He made us and not to base our identity on other people's impressions.

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