THE Caster Semenya saga, a wholly unnecessary brouhaha sparked by disbelieving losers, has now subsided after massive support for the South African teen sensation calmed the storm in a teacup.
But not before transforming Semenya into an overnight celebrity – something her 800m track exploits alone would not have achieved.
For now, international athletics bosses have been left to wipe egg off their faces after they gave in to yelling that Semenya undergo gender testing because she runs like a man.
In fact, her adversaries said she could be a man because of her physical appearance and baritone voice.
Scrutator will not stir up a debate that I believe has been exhausted since Semenya raced to a stunning gold at the recent World Athletics Championships in Germany.
The Semenya debacle just reminded me of one sensitive issue about sexuality.
Not so many months ago, yours truly was flummoxed when a fellow woman tried to make a move at one of our local gymnasiums.
I felt very uncomfortable and decided to quit the gym.
Then Scrutator’s roving eye this week stumbled upon Angie’s story in a local student bi-monthly.
I would have passed off the story as one of those candy girl profiles that students are fond of had I not bothered to check a strap on the story.
“A woman trapped in a man’s body,” the paper said.
The picture accompanying the article shows, presumably, a young woman standing akimbo and flashing her ivory.
She is wearing black leggings, a spotted skirt and her flowing locks complete her cosmopolitan look.
“I feel more comfortable in women’s clothes than in men’s clothes and it’s something which will not change,” Angie is quoted as saying.
“And if you were wondering, this spring and summer I am going to be spotted in mini-skirts,” she added.
Well, he added, maybe.
Angie boasted she was one of the few people to come clean about their homosexuality.
So many questions ran riot in my head.
If Angie was as fast as Semenya on the track, would “she” represent Lesotho as a woman in international competitions?
Then, seriously, I wondered how many women are trapped in men’s bodies.
And men in women’s bodies.
Gays and lesbians have openly swaggered about town in Maseru with no one seeming perturbed.
But does that mean Basotho generally accept homosexuality?
The Bible says we “should not lie down with men and we lie down with women”.
Most African countries abhor homosexuality to the extent that people like Angie would not dare talk about their sexual preferences.
South Africa is the only country in the continent that has legalised same-sex marriages.
With more people such as Angie likely to come out, maybe we’ll have a campaign for a similar law here.
I’ll leave the subject open to debate for now.
My concern for now is how to deal with some “mme-ntates” whose sweet tongues when it comes to chaffing chicks have become somewhat legendary.
Rumour has it that the “she-males” date some of Maseru’s finest.
In fact, Scrutator has spotted some of these homosexuals locking their pouts and smooching in public places.
Scrutator’s cousin was left heart-broken recently when his woman dumped him for one of the lesbians around town.
Could the shortage of men be a contributing factor to the steadily rising same-sex relationships?
Scrutator would rather resign to a nunnery than get cosy with another woman.
Boys, be warned: “women trapped in men’s bodies” are among us.
Better take care of your women or they will find comfort in the hands of “she-hes”.
Just one last silly question: how do lesbians deflower virgins like me should I prefer a same-sex relationship?
Ache!
Talking about virgins, earlier this week King Mswati III was at it again as he paraded 80 000 bare-breasted young girls during the annual reed dance.
Mswati’s government, condemned in some circles as a dictatorship, provided free transport to take the young girls to the royal palace.
The government of Swaziland says the reed dance aims to encourage young women to keep their hormones in check.
The idea, which appears quite noble and civil, is to help young girls preserve their virginity until marriage.
This is why the reed dance is only for childless and unmarried girls.
But it also gives the king, known for his appetite for young virgins, an opportunity to cherry-pick the fairest in the land.
This is how Mswati has ended up with a clan of 13 wives.
But I am curious to know how the king keeps such a clan of wives satisfied.
Us women, we are a quarrelsome lot even among ourselves.
Could someone please tell me how the man manages to keep this clan of women happy?
What magic wand does he use to glue these women together in a bond of eternal love and harmony?
How does the man fend off marital discord and ensure there is peace and harmony in the royal kraal?
A single wife is enough trouble on her own as most men will testify.
