Imane Khelif Did Nothing Wrong
The Right has drummed up a whole controversy based on Russian Propaganda
Two words can describe Italian Boxer Angela Carini’s meltdown after losing to Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif just after 46 seconds: Skill Issue. After losing, Carini complained, “It’s not fair”.
Now, let’s be clear. Khelif is NOT a Trans Woman. In Algeria, it is illegal to transition, or even mention the idea that some can fit outside the traditional male/female binary. Khelif was born with female external genitalia, assigned female at birth, and raised female. It also happens to be the case that Khelif lost to multiple women in previous boxing matches. None of them whined about losing like Carini did. Pointing to the Khelif vs Carini matchup, right-wing figures around the world have said that Khelif participating in the sport is “dangerous” to “biological women” (Khelif is a biological woman).
Now, perhaps it is dangerous for an unskilled boxer like Carini to box against a superior boxer such as Khelif. I am a Cis male, and no matter how much I trained, if I went up against any of the women in the Olympics in a boxing match, it would be dangerous for me too. I wouldn’t last one hit. Does that mean we should ban all the boxers currently in the Olympics? After all, they are “dangerous” to those who are untrained and aren’t tough enough to compete. Obviously, this line of attack is patently ridiculous, considering that Khelif has boxed multiple women, lost too many of them, and none of them complained about getting hurt.
Khelif and Taiwanese Boxer Lin Tu Ying may very well have some sort of DSD, or Difference in Sexual Development, that does confer them advantages over other women who lack this condition. But all of us should take a step back here. The source of the tests alleging that Khelif and Lin do not meet the requirements to compete in somen’s boxing is from the International Boxing Association (IBA), which the IOC banned. The IBA happens to be an organization tied to Putin and is extremely corrupt. They happened to disqualify Khelif after she ended the undefeated streak of a Russian boxer. They disqualified Lin, who happens to be from Taiwan, which Putin’s buddy Xi Jinping is resentful of. How convenient. This isn’t surprising, as Russia has been pushing Western right-wing cultural outrage through its propaganda. Putin has consistently portrayed himself as a valiant defender of traditional values against a decadent West. Needless to say, the IOC independently determined Khelif and Lin pass gender eligibility requirements. The Right has chosen to trust Putin instead. It’s in line with the broader theme of those on the right siding with Putin’s right-wing values, rather than the liberal values that make America, Europe, and its democratic allies great.
Now, to get back to an earlier point, the two boxers still may have DSD, XY chromosomes, elevated testosterone levels, and therefore an advantage over women without DSD. Some (slightly more) reasonable right-wingers have recognized that Khelif is in fact not trans, that it is unfortunate that the conception of her own gender identity was likely challenged by abnormal puberty (not to mention, tons of right-wingers), and she should deserve compassion. Buh-BUT, these right-wingers say, she still shouldn’t be allowed to box because it’s unfair. Now I want everyone reading to go through this thought experiment with me. Imagine you were born female, raised as a female, and always thought of yourself as a female. Imagine you grew up impoverished, in rural Algeria, having to sell scraps to scrape together enough money to pay for boxing lessons. You then compete internationally, where you are up against tons of boxers who grew up in wealthy nations. They had superior nutrition, housing, coaching, training facilities, amenities, etc. Yet, despite all this, you successfully win a gold medal at the Olympics, bringing pride to your country. You’ve dedicated your whole life to Boxing, and now a bunch of idiotic right-wingers are telling you, “Bye-bye. Your life’s work is over. Everything you’ve dreamed of doing, can’t do it anymore. Go home, and take some manual job for $5 an hour”.
If that’s not unfair, what is?
Oh, you say, but she can just box in the men’s division then, right? While it is true that whatever abnormality Khelif likely has given her an advantage, it does not give her a big enough advantage to compete on par with men. And if she did that, she would be arrested since it is illegal to change your gender identity in Algeria. (Most of) These right-wingers are all very lucky to live in a country that does not criminalize incongruity with the male-female binary. Ironically, these same right-wingers want to move us farther away from this blessing, by socially stigmatizing the idea of fitting outside the gender binary. These right-wingers have contributed to a culture where even now, people stigmatize and look down upon those who are transgender, non-binary, intersex, or have some other condition that puts them outside of the neat categories of cis man and cis women. As a result, the LGBTQ+ community (or people perceived as LGBTQ+, or just not fitting in the traditional gender binary), are much more likely to be socially isolated, discriminated against, and face mental health conditions, which naturally has led to a vastly higher suicide rate. Even though the insidious ideas of right-wingers are harming the lives of millions of LGBTQ+ people in the West, it is at least 100x worse in a socially conservative country like Algeria.
The point is that athletes like Khelif face a huge disadvantage just based on the fact that many in society simply despise who they are. It has gotten so bad that Khelif has had to sue prominent right-wing figures who have been spreading false claims about her. On top of that, women like Khelif would most likely face an even greater disadvantage against men compared to whatever advantage they have against other women. It would be even MORE unfair to force Khelif into the men’s division or out of the sport she has dedicated her whole life to.
To take a step back, the whole premise these right-wingers are arguing on is flawed. Again, Khelif might have advantages, but these right-wingers have 0 evidence that Khelif has an insurmountable advantage (again, Khelif has lost to multiple other women) that is not comparable to other “unfair” advantages. Other women are naturally stronger and more athletic. Like I mentioned before, most other Olympians grew up in better economic conditions than Khelif. Should we disqualify athletes from rich countries since athletes from poor countries have such a disadvantage? To say that this gender test is where we draw the red line has 0 basis in rational logic.
To top this all off, the sheer vitriol and disrespect that many right-wingers have for Khelif pretty much confirms who is on the right side of the issue. Right-wingers already insist on misgendering trans people, something that is already utterly disgusting. They are now insisting that Khelif is a man and therefore insist on using he/him pronouns. Again, Khelif was raised a woman and has always seen herself as a woman. Even if you hold on to the horrible view that everyone should use pronouns that traditionally correspond to sex assigned at birth, Khelif was born a female, and even if she could be defined as “biologically male”, the fact she was born with female external genitalia (and therefore assigned female at birth), means this is not some clear cut case. Basic human decency should tell us that you should respect the pronouns she wants to be called. Buh-but (again, assuming the incorrect premise that one must use pronouns corresponding to sex assigned at birth), she has XY chromosomes, she’s obviously a man, right? Right? Well if I recall correctly, all these idiotic right-wingers were saying 2 seconds ago that it was impossible for a man to have a vagina, or not to have a penis. It’s pretty clear. These right-wingers want to disrespect and ostracize anyone who doesn’t fit their narrow view of acceptable gender identity.
For a better, brighter, more Liberal future, we cannot let them win.