Ironically, being from a Country with Islamist Issues Could benefit Imane Khelif
If there’s anything that people will remember about
the Paris Olympics, it will be the way in which an event meant to bring out the
best in humanity through sporting competition, has instead been a celebration
of glorified pettiness. One of the most prominent incidences is centred around
the Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif, who destroyed her Italian opponent in 46
seconds. Instead of being able to enjoy her win, Ms. Khelif found herself as
the favourite target of every transphobe on the planet. This incident has
highlighted several problems.
Firstly, there’ the issue of transgender athletes,
particularly in women’s sports. It’s generally accepted that its “unfair” to
allow “transwomen” to compete against non-transwomen for the simple reason that
transwomen have strength advantages, having been born men. So, everyone focuses
on how we should keep transwomen out of women’s sports.
The solution is pretty simple. Create a category of
sporting competition for “transsexuals.” I’m sure this will irritate religious conservatives
around the world. However, its now accepted that “trans sexual” people are in
fact people and they should enjoy the same rights as everyone else, including
the right to compete in sports. So, what’s so difficult about having a unique category
for trans sexual people? They compete against people who have similar physical characteristics
just as non-trans people do.
Secondly, there’s the issue of what defines a “trans
person.” The accepted definition of a “trans” person is someone who was born
one gender and then “transitioned” to another at certain point in his or her
life.
Now, if you were to look at her, you can, as one male Tik
Tok Commentator noted, has a body he wouldn’t mind having. However, looks can
be deceiving and let’s remember, we’re talking about a boxer and not a ballerina.
She’s supposed to be robust:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/boxing/imane-khelif-olympics-dad-boxing-33388008
Now, there is the issue of the fact that Imane Khelif
had failed a “gender” test issued by the International Boxing Association (IBA)
prior to the World Boxing Championship in New Delhi in 2023. Everyone calling
her a man points to this failed test as evidence that she is actually he. More information
can be found at:
There are, however, other facts that argue on the side
of Imane Khelif. Ironically, that she’s from Algeria, a country isn’t exactly
at the forefront of LGBTQ rights. It’s illegal to be “trans” in Algeria and even
if you leave aside the legal rights of the LGBTQ community in Algeria, the
culture is such that anyone wanting sex assignment surgery would have had to
leave in every sense of the word. Given that she’s still talking to her parents
and boxing under the Algerian flag, this clearly hasn’t happened.
Her birth certificate has shown that she’s born a
girl. She grew up as a girl. She has periods and can give birth. So, what exactly
is it about her that makes her “not” a woman?
Why is there so much on her? Is it really about “trans”
woman in women’s sports. If it were, why isn’t there so much focus on the
Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu Ting who also got disqualified at the same championship
in 2023 for the same reasons?
The answer is simple, Ms. Lin didn’t destroy her
opponents or specifically a Western European opponent in the same way the Ms.
Khelif did. None of her opponents cried and said it was unfair. Ms. Lin didn’t
provide the world’s bigots with the image they needed to stir up the emotions
of their masses. As was said on Saturday Night Live, Ms. Khelif became the
punching bag of the worlds useless. If only they would step into the ring to be
hers.
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