aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Thursday, July 14, 2005

African jailed for running as woman

My friend John sent me this:

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.

I can only wonder what the real story is here:

Sithole told the court at his first appearance that he had both female and male organs and that he lived as a woman after consulting a traditional healer. A medical examination showed that he was a man.