Canadian cyclist ‘paddles’ for Santhi

Kristen Worley and Santhi Soundarajan have never met. But Canadian transsexual cyclist Worley, according to gaywired.com, a netzine supporting the cause of gays, is fighting the cause of the Indian athlete and other victims of Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS).

Worley, a Beijing Olympics hopeful — accepted as a member of the Canadian team despite a sex change from male to female — wants Santhi, stripped of her Doha Asian Games 800m silver medal after failing a gender test, to get the medal back. Santhi allegedly attempted suicide last month.

Worley has taken up Santhi’s cause with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge.

IOC stopped gender tests before the 2000 Sydney Olympics after it was proved that they were inconclusive because of conditions like AIS — that affects the development of the reproductive and genital organs.

Worley was quoted as telling the Canadian Press news agency: “It (the Santhi case) should never have been handled in such a gross manner, amounting to public humiliation because of their ignorance….” The report also quoted a protest letter by Mianne Bagger, the first male-to-female golfer to play professionally: “Santhi has done nothing.