The transphobia Imane Khelif is experiencing isn't new—it's part of a disturbing, hateful pattern

A version of this article originally appeared on Out.

A cisgender boxer from Algeria is coming under fire from hateful right wingers for competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics after previously failing a "gender eligibility test" from a disgraced boxing association.

Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer who was born female, raised as a girl, and has lived and identified as nothing other than a cis woman for her entire life, has come under attack from trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFS) and right wingers for competing in this year's Paris Olympics after it was revealed that she was disqualified from last year's International Boxing Association (IBA) world championships when she failed an unspecified gender eligibility test.

TERFS, including J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk, and Piers Morgan, have criticized Khelif, calling her a man, a trans woman, and biologically male — none of which are true.

Khelif is not transgender and does not identify as intersex. While reports are saying she has a variation in her sex traits known as DSD (differences of sexual development), the details of her failed gender test are unknown.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), some women with DSDs may have sex chromosomes other than XX or elevated testosterone levels. They are still cis women.

It is important to point out that the IBA was banned from Olympic participation in 2019 after years of corruption under presidents from Uzbekistan and Russia.

Going back to the 2012 Olympics, there were allegations of medal fixing and cash payouts. In 2018, Gafur Rakhimov, a businessman with alleged ties to organized crime and heroin trafficking was elected president of the IBA, and in 2020, he was replaced by Umar Kremlev of Russia.

The IBA has been financed by Russian state energy firm Gazprom, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cited issues with "integrity of bouts and judging" as reasons for banning the IBA.

In 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against the IBA's appeal of the ban, stating that the organization "had not increased its financial transparency," "had not changed its process relating to referees and judges to ensure its integrity," and "had not ensure the full and effective implementation of all the measures proposed by the 'Governance Reform Group.'"

Furthermore, Khelif was initially disqualified only after having beaten Russian boxer Azalia Amineva in a tournament. It was then that the Russian president of the IBA, who brought in Russian state-owned money to sponsor the organization, banned her.

Khelif has boxed in international bouts for years, including the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, with no issue.

In a recent statement from the IOC about the controversy, it said that Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, a boxer from Taiwan who also failed an IBA gender test, "were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process."

The IOC pointed to the IBA minutes, which show that the decision was initially made solely by the IBA Secretary General and CEO, and ratified by the board later.

"The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure," the IOC stated.

Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, who also was disqualified from the IBA championship last year for an unspecified gender eligibility test, has not faced the same international outcry as Khelif.

Both Yu-ting and Khelif won their first fights at this year's Olympics, and the main difference between the two women is that one is of African descent and one is not.

Unfortunately, transphobia and anti-Blackness have a long and close relationship.

Perhaps the most famous example of a female athlete's gender and sex being questioned is Caster Semenya, a cisgender woman who won two Olympic gold medals in the 800 meters track event.

Semenya was made to undergo sex testing after her World Championships victory in 2009. She was cleared to compete the following year. The tests reportedly showed that she has no womb or ovaries and has higher levels of testosterone than average.

While male athletes like swimmer Michael Phelps, who has double-jointed ankles, a disproportionately large wingspan, and produces less lactic acid than a normal male, and basketball player Victor Wembanyama, who is 7'4" tall and has an eight foot wingspan, are celebrated for having genetic advantages in sports, Semenya was punished.

In 2019, the International Association of Athletics Federation ruled that she would have to use medication to reduce the levels of testosterone her body produces naturally if she wanted to race again.

Semenya's sex and gender were repeatedly called into question during her career, with many critics arguing that because they considered her to be less feminine looking, that meant she was a man.

The same accusations have been lobbed at other Black women athletes, even ones who do not have any DSDs.

Serena Williams, regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, has long had to deal with racists and critics calling her a man.

"People would say I was born a guy, all because of my arms, or because I'm strong," she told Harper's Bazaar in a 2018 interview. "I was different to Venus: She was thin and tall and beautiful, and I am strong and muscular — and beautiful, but, you know, it was just totally different."

Even Black women who aren't athletes have to deal with this mixture of transphobia and anti-Black racism.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama also faced conspiracy theories that she was a man or a transgender woman for her entire time in the public spotlight despite there being no basis for the theories.

Now, the pattern is continuing as Khelif is being called biologically male, a trans woman, and a man all with no evidence.

The IOC has been clear: "Every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination. All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit."