shadow of a woman

I'd rather saw my own arm off than play competitive sports, but it obviously floats some people's boats. Including Richard's.

He sent me a link to a piece about Caster Semenya, an athlete who is apparently obliged to take gender tests because she trains too hard and doesn't look classically feminine, or something.

It's by Germaine Greer, whom I try to like despite her apparent trajectory into Daft Old Batness... though I'm not trying that hard, these days.

Here's an odd quote from her little piece:

Nowadays we are all likely to meet people who think they are women, have women's names, and feminine clothes and lots of eyeshadow, who seem to us to be some kind of ghastly parody, though it isn't polite to say so. We pretend that all the people passing for female really are. Other delusions may be challenged, but not a man's delusion that he is female.

...which isn't a nice thing to say about Marlene Dietrich, I must say.

...oh, hang on a minute. She's banging on about Them Thar Pesky Trannies again, isn't she?

Here's the story of how Germaine Greer 'outed' a Fellow of Newnham College back in the 90s, if you haven't heard of it already.

I like the way that Germaine said how she liked Dr Padman as a person, but she objected to her on principle. Oh yes, been there, done that. People have objected to me, too, on principle. Funny feeling, let me tell you.

Take principles regularly. Prevents that thinking feeling.

Oh well, that'll do for the mo. Must go and put on my eye shadow. That or strip down and fix the seized brake cylinder on the Traveller, so that I can go bimbling over to Wales in pursuit of William and Dorothy Wordsworth. Now, where's me high heels?