Olympic boxer Imane Khelif is being targeted with transphobic hate—even though she isn't even trans

A version of this article first appeared on Out.

The unceasing Transphobic Twitter Troupe led by J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk has spent the last two days targeting Olympic athlete and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif with transphobic remarks that are entirely inaccurate. The kicker? Khelif isn't transgender.

In March 2024, Khelif told UNICEF that she's been "able to overcome obstacles" despite starting her life "with nothing" — highlighting that her father, who worked as a welder in the Sahara desert, didn't approve of boxing for girls. Thankfully, that dynamic has changed over time. "Both my parents come to support me," Khelif explained. "They are my biggest fans."

Why are people attacking Imane Khelif with transphobic remarks?

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Transphobic celebrities and politicians are taking to social media to question Khelif's gender and make the inaccurate claim that the Algerian boxer is a trans woman, which she is not.

According to a fact check from GLAAD and interACT, an organization that "empowers intersex youth and advance the rights of all people with innate variations in their physical sex characteristics," there has been no indication of Khelif ever identifying as transgender or as intersex.

The transphobic, hateful claims from high-profile individuals are based on a statement from Umar Kremlev, the president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), who told Russian news agency Tass that Khelif "proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded from the sports events," as reported by The Guardian earlier this year.

The Washington Post subsequently reported that "it remains unclear what standards Khelif failed [in 2023] to lead to the disqualifications." However, the discourse surrounding Khelif's gender came back to the spotlight as she started competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

What happened between Angela Carini and Imane Khelif?

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Italian boxer Angela Carini competed against Khelif in a boxing match at the 2024 Olympic Games. 46 seconds into the fight, however, Carini withdrew from the match and claimed that she was feeling an intense pain in her nose.

While Carini didn't directly question Khelif's gender, she told news outlets that it was "unfair" for her to compete with Khelif. The Italian boxer then noted that it was up to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to evaluate whether Khelif was eligible to compete in the women's boxing tournament at the Olympics.

Carini's withdrawal from the match and subsequent remarks opened up a flood of transphobic remarks targeted against Khelif.

What did Elon Musk say about Imane Khelif?

Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2023 and re-branded it to X, posted the first viral attack on Khelif.

In the early hours of Thursday, August 1, the tech billionaire quote-shared an original post that read, "Men don't belong in women's sports. [I Stand With Angela Carini hashtag]. Let's get it trending [fire emoji]." Musk quoted the post, writing, "Absolutely."

A few hours later, Musk quote-shared an X post claiming that "Donald Trump will ban biological males from competing in women's sports" to which Musk reacted with, "Good."

What did J.K. Rowling say about Imane Khelif?

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter book series and a producer on all the upcoming live-action adaptations of her novels being developed by Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), also shared X posts disseminating inaccurate claims that Khelif is a trans woman.

Rowling wrote:

"Could any picture sum up our new men's rights movement better? The smirk of a male who's [sic] knows he's protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he's just punched in the head, and whose life's ambition he's just shattered. [Paris 2024 hashtag]."

Rowling then reacted to a post from X user @YourAnonNews. The original post 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."

Rowling quote-shared that original X post and wrote the following inaccurate statement:

"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."

Chris Evert, who was considered the world's no. 1 tennis player in the 1980s, also commented on this controversy by quote-sharing the picture of a piece of paper that read, "No Males in Women's Boxing." Evert wrote, "Why are we even questioning this?"

Rowling reacted to Evert's X post with a response that read:

"Because we currently live in a world where too many institutions, even those whose decisions may put women at risk of injury or death, are too cowardly to challenge the ludicrous proposition that acknowledging the reality of biological sex is inherently bigoted."

What did Logan Paul & Jake Paul say about Imane Khelif?

Brothers Logan Paul and Jake Paul, controversial YouTubers and social media influencers who recently launched their own boxing careers, also chimed in. Jake quote-shared a video of Khelif being deemed the winner of the match against Carini following the Italian boxer's withdrawal, writing:

"This is sickening. This is a travesty. Doesn't matter what you believe. This is wrong and dangerous."

Jake then shared another X post that read:

"To Angela Carini, although your dreams couldn't come true today because of the crazy agendas that are at play in our world at the moment, I would love to offer you to fight on an MVP undercard, to show the world your talents on a fair platform and not against a man."

In a since-deleted X post, Logan wrote:

"This is the purest form of evil unfolding right before our eyes. A man was allowed to beat up a woman on a global stage, crushing her life's dream while fighting for her deceased father. This delusion must end."

A few hours later, Logan shared a new X post walking back his original statement regarding Khelif. He wrote:

"OOPSIES!! I might be guilty of spreading misinformation along with the entirety of this app. Although she's been previously disqualified for failing a 'gender test' and has XY chromosomes, some sources say Imane Khelif was born a biological woman. I stand by my sentiment that biological men should not compete against biological women in any sport and if you disagree you're a sick f*ck."

Even though Logan Paul's follow-up X post is still problematic, some X users are praising the fact that he, unlike his fellow peers, has shared a new statement regarding Khelif.

What did JD Vance say about Imane Khelif?

JD Vance, who joined Donald Trump's ticket as a Republican vice presidential candidate in the 2024 election, also shared an X post about Khelif — and somehow tied this controversy to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Vance wrote:

"This is where Kamala Harris's ideas about gender lead: to a grown man pummeling a woman in a boxing match. This is disgusting, and all of our leaders should condemn it."

What did Amy Broadhurst say about Imane Khelif?

Irish boxer Amy Broadhurst — an actual athlete who beat Khelif in a fight in 2022 — offered her perspective on the situation, writing:

"Have a lot of people texting me over Imane Khelif. Personally, I don't think she has done anything to 'cheat.' I think it's the way she was born and that's out of her control. The fact that she has been [beaten] by 9 females before says it all."

An X user replied to Broadhurst's statement doubling down on the inaccurate claims that Khelif is a "biological male," which is incorrect. The Irish boxer replied to that person with an X post claiming that Khelif "was born intersex," which is also incorrect.

Broadhurst's follow-up X statement read:

"She's not biological. She was born intersex, and for all we know, she could have been brought up thinking all she was, was a female. Nobody knows the full truth."

How did the International Olympic Committee (IOC) respond to this controversy involving Imane Khelif?

On Friday, August 2, a spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in the organization's daily press briefing:

"The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport. This is not a transgender case. There has been some confusion that somehow it's a man fighting a woman. This is just not the case, scientifically. On that, there is consensus. Scientifically, this is not a man fighting a woman. I think we need to kind of get that out."