Samukeliso Sithole

Dunno if you’ve heard about this one yet. I listened to a radio piece on NPR this morning that is better than this Reuters story, but here’s the gist:

“HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) -- A Zimbabwean court has jailed a man masquerading as a female athlete, court officials said on Thursday.
Samukeliso Sithole -- a triple jumper and runner who competed as a woman at several international sports events -- was convicted on charges of impersonation and offending the dignity of a woman athlete who undressed in his presence, unaware he was a man.”

Apparently she is a hermaphrodite, although she also is “very troubled” and “confused” according to a sports reporter in Harare (whose name I can’t remember) interviewed on NPR. One could imagine she is troubled and confused in a society where homosexuality is not tolerated and hermaphroditism can’t be much understood. She has also been jailed for theft recently, and was put in a men’s prison. Now she will serve four more years.

You can see a picture of her here.