On Imane Khelif
“Statement from Gender Liberation Movement on Imane Khelif and the Olympics”
Yesterday, Imane Khelif, a boxer from Algeria, won her first fight at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She defeated Angela Carini of Italy after Carini quit the match, refused to shake her opponent’s hand, and fell to the floor in tears. The striking images of this scene have since gone viral, stoking a toxic discourse on Khelif’s athletic prowess and gender identity.
Khelif has always competed as a woman, including at the Tokyo Olympics, and has never identified as intersex or transgender. She and another boxer, Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, previously faced scrutiny after failing to meet gender eligibility tests at last year's Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi. The test results were said to be due to Khelif and Yu-ting carrying male chromosomes, which has been used to question their identities.
Throughout the modern history of sports, there have been brutal attacks on women on the margins who don’t fit the complex and expansive boxes of gender and sex. Women and intersex, queer, transgender, and nonbinary folks, especially of color and African descent, have been especially targeted by smear campaigns like the one right-wing leaders are currently stoking.
Unsurprisingly, global right-wing figures, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, United States presidential candidate Donald Trump, X owner Elon Musk, and author J.K.Rowling, have weighed in to pile on 25-year-old Khelif. As usual, they are using her experience as fodder for their disingenuous crusade to police women’s bodies.
The discourse on Khelif’s experience invokes the discrimination that other women athletes of color, like South African sprinter Caster Semenya and tennis icon Serena Williams, have endured throughout their careers. But it also shows us that the conservative attacks on trans athletes in the U.S. are not isolated.
We have also seen high-profile Black women across industries misgendered and dehumanized. From former First Lady Michelle Obama to singer Ciara to basketballer Britney Griner, the global public has been ravenous in its attempts to diminish their identities and influence.
The attacks on Algerian boxer Imane Khelif remind us of the global agenda to limit bodily autonomy, self-determination, and gender liberation. It shows us that there must be an intentional and strong alliance between cis and trans women, intersex and nonbinary folks, athletes of color, and all those who believe in equal access and opportunity. All athletes deserve to pursue their passion without the risk of discrimination.
If you are a warrior for gender liberation, join the Gender Liberation Movement. We believe in a world where everyone has the power to defy and transcend the gendered expectations that harm and limit us all. We will host the first-ever Gender Liberation March in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, September 14, 2024. Sign-up today.
The link can be found here to sign up to march or organize a bus.
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General inquiries can be sent to genderlib4all@gmail.com
