TresSugar

Champion Runner Caster Semenya Asked to Prove Her Sex

TresSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:30:00 -0700

Eighteen-year-old champion runner Caster Semenya has been teased by her peers all her life for looking "like a boy." After the South African won the gold medal at the World Championships this week, surpassing her nearest rival by an astonishing 2.45 seconds, some of her fellow competitors began accusing her of being a man. Now, she faces questions over her biological sex, not from schoolyard bullies but from the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF), who wants her to undergo a series of tests to prove she is a woman.

Caster's mother denies the allegations saying "I gave birth to that girl from my womb" and other black South Africans point to the accusations as an example of insensitive and demeaning attitudes of black African women held by Westerners.

As for the IAAF, the officials say they do not doubt that Caster was raised a female all her life, they just hope the complex tests will determine whether she was given an unfair medical advantage. Sadly, these tests, which look for the presence of two X chromosomes, are potentially inaccurate and discriminatory against women with sex chromosomal disorders. (Some women can have XXY, XXXY or any number of variations of X or Y chromosomes.)

Regardless of whether Caster passes the test, do you think a woman who might have a Y chromosome, but the physiology of a woman, should be able to compete against other women?

Shocking: One in Four Men Admit Rape in South Africa

TresSugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:00:00 -0700

The figure "one in four" has always stood out in my mind - statistics show that one in four college women in America have survived rape or attempted rape. Now the figure has taken on meaning in South Africa as well, where one in four men admit to raping someone.

If you thought the high incidence of rape was tragic, an incredibly sad study reveals it’s even worse than you might have imagined. Men who were physically violent toward women were also twice as likely to be HIV positive. The study unveiled a culture of violence that just gets more disturbing. In South Africa, some men consider gang rape a form of male bonding.

As the high rate of rape suggests, women in South Africa cannot count on the government to address the epidemic - only 7 percent of reported cases lead to a conviction.

Progress Made Against South Africa's Still Dire HIV Crisis

TresSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:30:00 -0700

I could hardly believe it when I read that 33 percent of women between the ages of 20 and 34 are infected with HIV in South Africa. Thankfully, in the country with a total of 5.5 million people living with HIV, some progress is being made.

According to a new report, the overall infection rate has leveled off to 10.9 percent for those aged two or older, in part thanks to increased condom use. In 2002, only 57 percent of men aged 15-24 used condoms, compared to 87 percent today.

After the country's previous president, Thabo Mbeki, long denied the link between HIV and AIDS (instead blaming deaths on malnutrition), it's reassuring to see prevention and education saving lives.

Source

Oh Snap! Art Imitates Sex

TresSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:00:00 -0700

I bet you can't guess what this man is painting with. The "world's only penile artist" participated in the Sexpo in Cape Town, South Africa, the world's largest health, sexuality, and lifestyle expo.

Source

Oprah's South African School Hit With Another Sex Scandal

CitizenSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:30:25 -0700

Oprah's attempt to clean house at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy School For Girls after a 2007 scandal didn't save her from another round of shocking headlines coming out of South Africa. This time, the scandal doesn't involve an employee of the school, but rather students engaging in lesbian liaisons.

Seven students from Oprah's all-girls school in South Africa have been suspended for inappropriate behavior toward other students. One student was suspended for preying on another, while the others are in trouble for consensually touching each other intimately. I bet they didn't figure the whole world would find out.

Do you think Oprah should take some of the blame in the media for the latest scandal, or do the suspensions prove that the school enforces its code of conduct?

Source

Front Page: South Africa Denies Dalai Lama Entrance

CitizenSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:52:39 -0700

Organizers of a peace conference in South Africa have canceled the event after the government denied a visa to the Dalai Lama. - New York Times
Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner is asking Congress today for unprecedented power to seize non-banking financial companies. - AP
The recent volcano eruption in Alaska has made a case for the volcano monitoring funding included in Obama's stimulus package and criticized by many. - Washington Post
The crew aboard the Discovery space shuttle has been expecting a call from President Obama before they return home. - AP
China has blocked YouTube, reportedly because it included video of soldiers beating monks and other Tibetans. - BBC News

Source

Front Page: Congress May Add Stimulus, South Africa's Mbeki Resigns, Militants Kidnap 155 in Afghanistan

CitizenSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:00:38 -0700

Congress May Add Stimulus:
Congress is likely to raise the cost of the $700 billion rescue deal by adding more economic stimulus for taxpayers, according to Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Barney Frank. The cost of the current plan could reach $1 trillion. Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd urged caution this morning and praised Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson as "the right man."

South Africa's Mbeki Resigns:
South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki resigned yesterday after his political party demanded that he step down. He gave a brief speech saying, “I would like to say that gloom and despondency have never defeated adversity. Trying times need courage and resilience.” Mbeki has been temporarily replaced by Kgalema Motlanthe.

Militants Kidnap 155 in Afghanistan:
Three buses carrying Afghan laborers were stopped by militants and all 155 people on board were kidnapped. No one has yet claimed responsibility and the Interior Ministry spokesman says, "What demand might they have from the government? They are poor and innocent laborers who are traveling far distances for work." Though kidnappings and ransoms are routine in Afghanistan, this instance is the first time militants have attempted to abduct and hold such a large group.

Source

Front Page: New Offensive in Iraq, Fire Consumes UK Landmark, Oprah School Abuse Trial Begins

CitizenSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:00:05 -0700

New Offensive in Iraq:
Iraqi forces with support from American troops just launched a new major operation against insurgents in the Iraqi province of Diyala, one of the last pockets of al-Qaeda militants in the country. The commander of the Iraqi ground forces says the operation's goal is ''to clear al-Qaeda in Diyala. We have a list of wanted persons that the troops will arrest during the operations.'' The offensive comes after deadly attacks in Baghdad and Kirkuk.

Fire Consumes UK Landmark:
The historic seaside pier, the Grand at Weston-super-Mare, was consumed by fire yesterday. Stretching a quarter of a mile into the water, the two-story wooden structure was reduced to ash in a couple of hours. The fire broke out in a kitchen on the pier, though no one was hurt. A spokesman for the pier, Nigel Heath, says, “it is a tragedy. It epitomized the English seaside resort.”

Oprah School Abuse Trial Begins:
The trial of the former matron at Oprah Winfrey's school in South Africa has begun with the defendant pleading not guilty. The six alleged victims will testify in private, amid reports that they're "very scared". The defendant, 28, was arrested at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy near Johannesburg last year. The $40 million school opened in 2007.

Source

South Africa's Affirmative Action Not Affirmed by All

LibertySugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:00:22 -0700

South Africa's aggressive affirmative action policy, which requires companies to give preferential hiring treatment to the country's 90 percent black population, colored community, Indians, and women has garnered both success and criticism.

South Africans growing up in destitute conditions perpetuated by apartheid have found financial security and professional fulfillment through increased opportunities. Some companies recruit the marginalized groups in high school and give them extra academic assistance and help through university.

Unfortunately affirmative action, along with instability, has caused 20 percent of the South Africa's white population to leave the country. And when not paired with training, a lack of necessary skills possessed by those receiving preferential hiring practices bothers both supporters and opponents of affirmative action. To find out how, read more.

Supporters tell BBC that the current policy is just a quick, elusive solution if not paired with significant training - when a someone is hired without training, he can easily be fired for lack of qualifications making affirmative action powerless. As for white workers, they feel as if the policy pushes them out and replaces them with someone of the "right color."

South Africa's unemployment rate is 40 percent. Because the program extends to over 90 percent of the population the extra advantage may be a little diluted. But the success stories suggest that when given a chance at training and a position, victims of past injustices can change their destinies.

Source

South Africa Wants to Give Green Light to Red Light District

LibertySugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Even though prostitution obviously goes well with soccer, religious groups and government opposition parties disagree with South Africa's plan to legalize sex-for-sale before the 2010 World Cup.

The Durban municipal government wants to legalize the red light district, and make access to "services" safe and easy. Those in favor argue that Germany opened popular adult entertainment centers for World Cup 2006. Some resisted that decision too, including the Vatican who lamented the fact that that women "cost less than ticket to a soccer game."

South African religious groups say the current plan goes against the word of God, and many worry about a greater transmission of AIDS. Opposition parties worry that once it's legal, it will remain so after the World Cup. That point makes a lot of sense - if the government approves it one day, how can they say it's a dangerous crime the next?

Source