A record number of LGBTQ athletes are competing in the current summer Olympics in Paris, however, one boxer from Algeria is being hated for being trans…but she’s not even trans. Yes, it’s another ridiculous ploy by conservatives to troll the LGBTQ+ community gone wrong, because pro-boxer Imane Khelif has been in a swath of media controversy over her gender eligibility criteria ahead of the games.
Talk about Khelif’s gender identity has been swirling in a constant spur of hate on social media, an issue which has also affected Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting, according to USA Today. Debate over whether or not Khelif should be allowed to compete in the games has reached the likes of transphobes J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk.
According to Out, Khelif was born female, raised as a girl and has never identified as anything other than a cis woman for her entire life. So, what’s everyone getting hooked on? Khelif was disqualified from last year’s International Boxing Association world championships after failing an “unspecified gender eligibility test.”
Some reports have claimed Khelif has a variation in her sex traits known as DSD or differences of sexual development, which causes some cis women to have higher testosterone levels or sex chromosomes other than XX. Despite this, the details of her failed gender test remain unknown.
Khelif participated in the 2021 Olympics without question, a detail which speaks volumes about the increase in transphobic hate speech over the past few years. This is also not the first time a black woman has been questioned about her athleticism after Olympic wins. In 2009, Caster Semenya was made to undergo sex testing after her World Championships win in track. Out emphasizes how these accusations are commonly seen with black female athletes.
Khelif has commented on the bullying to various outlets, saying to SNTV “I don’t care about anyone’s opinion. I came here for a medal, and to compete for a medal. I will certainly be competing to improve (and) be better, and God willing, I will improve, like every other athlete.”
Featured Image: Imane Khelif of Team Algeria and Anna Luco Hamori of Team Hungary at the Paris 2024 Olympics (Photo by ProPhoto1234)
