As they stand on the precipice of winning Olympic medals, boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan have increasingly found themselves in the crosshairs of gender absolutists. Critics allege that the two women are “biologically male” and should be barred from competition for having an unfair advantage over female competitors.

Both boxers were assigned female at birth. Both have vital documents or passports designating them as female.

But both were disqualified at the 2023 International Boxing Association World Championships, held in New Delhi, India, last year, after they allegedly failed a form of gender verification testing, the details of which are shrouded in secrecy.

As a result, Khelif was prevented from boxing in the final of the women’s welterweight division, and Lin was stripped of a bronze medal she had won in the women’s featherweight division. 

The controversy over Khelif and Lin’s inclusion in the Olympics was sparked after Khelif, who sports a “butch” appearance in hairstyle and gender presentation outside of the ring, delivered a barrage of punches to Italian competitor Angela Carini, forcing her to concede the match within 46 seconds.

Carini initially claimed that she had “never been hit so hard” by a competitor, although she has since apologized for remarks she made immediately after the match. 

Soon after the match, anti-transgender activists and right-wing media figures, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, author J.K. Rowling, billionaire businessman Elon Musk, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and a host of athletes and sports commentators began attacking Khelif, and, to a lesser extent, Lin, claiming both were transgender and “biologically male,” and should be disqualified.

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Rowling was particularly heinous, writing on social media, “The idea that those objecting to a male punching a female in the name of sport are objecting because they believe Khelif to be ‘trans’ is a joke. We object because we saw a male punching a female.”

The idea that those objecting to a male punching a female in the name of sport are objecting because they believe Khelif to be ‘trans’ is a joke. We object because we saw a male punching a female. https://t.co/KSAM5RCl1S

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 2, 2024

Trolls argued that both boxers should be barred from women’s competition to ensure the “safety” of female competitors.

Both women — and their respective countries — have claimed the allegations that they are transgender are false and an attempt to smear them.

The International Olympic Committee, which cleared both boxers to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, has cast suspicion not only on the methods used in IBA’s “gender testing,” but the timing of the tests, which were conducted only after Khelif and Lin had won several matches, reports Reuters.

IOC President Thomas Bach sought to defend Khelif and Lin’s inclusion, noting that both have competed in women’s divisions in past years and that their passports and birth certificates identify them as female. 

“We have two boxers who are born as women, who have been raised as women, who have a passport as a woman and have competed for many years as women,” he said, accusing detractors of trying to spark a culture war. “Some want to own a definition of who is a woman.”

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Bach added, “This is not a DSD [differences in sex development] case. This is about a woman taking part in a women’s competition and I think I have explained this many times.” However, the IOC later said Bach had misspoken and had intended to say that neither boxer was transgender.

A Taiwanese official previously cast doubt on the validity of the IBA “gender verification” that occurred at the world championships last year, saying the procedure did not involve any chromosomal testing at all — contrary to rumors circulated online by detractors, and by the IBA itself, that Lin and Khelif reportedly had XY chromosomes.

It is unclear whether Khelif and Lin are intersex or have DSD, a broad term for people whose bodies and characteristics do not neatly fit long-held expectations or stereotypes about the hormonal makeup and outward appearance of male or female bodies.

Former Olympic track star Caster Semenya, who has DSD, was barred from competing in this year’s Olympics because her naturally-occurring levels of testosterone are higher than the average female’s.

Earlier this year, the European Court of Human Rights found that World Athletics, track and field’s governing body, had discriminated against Semenya when it barred her from competing internationally unless she agreed to undergo hormone therapy — which led to a host of unpleasant side effects — to reduce her testosterone levels.

But some gender absolutists have claimed that even if Khelif and Lin have DSD — meaning they lack external male genitalia but have higher-than-normal testosterone levels for women  — they are effectively “men” because they undergo pubertal changes that give them strength, muscle mass, height, and other physical advantages over cisgender female competitors.

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Khelif, 25, is 5’10” and between 140 and 147 pounds, and Lin, 28, is 5’9″ and between 112 and 125 pounds.

Speaking with the Algerian broadcaster SNTV, Khelif called for an end to “bullying” of athletes like herself who don’t neatly conform to gender expectations. She accused the IBA of having wronged her last year and expressed hope that this year’s allegations of being transgender wouldn’t affect her family too badly, as LGBTQ identity is both socially taboo and punishable by imprisonment in her home country.

“I am in contact with my family two days a week,” Khelif said. “They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.”

Following her most recent match, which guaranteed she will at least win a bronze medal, she told reporters, “I want to tell the entire world that I am a female, and I will remain a female.”

Lin issued her own statement thanking fans for standing behind her and decrying attempts to cast her as male.

“I especially want to thank the public from Taiwan for standing behind me and giving me support and cheering me, although I don’t have the time to respond to every message you sent,” she said after her most recent fight. “Today is not a period, full stop, but a comma. Our goal hasn’t been achieved yet. So we cannot give up on any opportunity, I will keep fighting.”

Nikki Hiltz, a nonbinary American track athlete participating in the Paris Games, said the speculation about the female boxers was rooted in “transphobia.”

“Anti-trans rhetoric is anti-woman,” Hiltz wrote in an Instagram post. “These people aren’t ‘protecting women’s sports,’ they are enforcing rigid gender norms and anyone who doesn’t fit perfectly into those norms is targeted and vilified.”

An anonymous user on X, wrote, “Imane Khelif should sue every single account and outlet saying she is trans.
Assholes are putting her life at risk, it is illegal in her country to be trans. The continuance of the blatant trans lie continues unfettered on Twitter.”

Imane Khelif should sue every single account and outlet saying she is trans.
Assholes are putting her life at risk, it is illegal in her country to be trans. The continuance of the blatant trans lie continues unfettered on Twitter.

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) August 1, 2024