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It’s the latest eyebrow-raising comment the Republican vice presidential candidate has made.
In a contentious and misleading post on social media, JD Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, launched an attack on Vice President Kamala Harris’s support for LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Vance falsely accused Algerian Olympic boxer Imane Khelif of being transgender, causing widespread condemnation and backlash from human rights advocates.
Vance posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, sharing a video initially posted by far-right influencer Charlie Kirk. The footage depicted Khelif’s recent Olympic match in Paris, during which her Italian opponent, Angela Carini, withdrew shortly after the bout began, citing the intensity of Khelif’s punches.
In his tweet, Vance commented, “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.” Kirk’s post, which Vance retweeted, falsely claimed, “The Olympics just allowed a biological man, Imane Khelif, to pummel Italian Olympian Angela Carini. Her life’s work was stolen by a man who beats up women for sport. Will someone have to die before people wake up?! This entire ideology is pure evil.”
Contrary to these claims, Imane Khelif is a cisgender woman who has never identified as transgender. The controversy surrounding her arose from a 2023 incident where she was disqualified from the Russian-led International Boxing Association Women’s World Boxing Championships due to reportedly having Differences of Sexual Development, which are a group of medical conditions involving genes, hormones, and reproductive organs, though it has not been confirmed that Khelif has these traits. The condition is found in some cisgender women. The IBA’s handling of the matter has been criticized, and the organization has been decertified due to corruption allegations and questionable practices.
Right-wing actors and transphobes have seized on Khelif’s natural medical situation and cast her as having an unfair advantage and falsely claiming she is “a man fighting women.”
Another boxer facing similar scrutiny is Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan. NBC News reports that Lin was also disqualified from the IBA championship due to an unspecified gender eligibility test. Despite this, Lin met all the criteria to compete in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the current Paris Games.
The International Olympic Committee and the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit have affirmed Khelif’s and Lin’s eligibility, stating that all competitors in the women’s category meet the requirements based on their passports. IOC spokesperson Mark Adams confirmed, “Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules,” The Guardian reports.
GLAAD, the leading LGBTQ+ media advocacy group, and interACT, an organization supporting intersex youth, issued a fact sheet to correct the misinformation. It clarified that athletes with DSDs are not the same as transgender athletes and highlighted that Khelif adheres to all IOC rules.
Laurel Powell, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, strongly criticized Vance’s remarks in a statement to The Advocate.
“This misinformation-fueled rhetoric is about forcing all women to conform to MAGA politicians’ weird ideal of femininity. JD’ Childless Cat Ladies’ Vance’s ideas about gender mean he thinks he gets to control our bodies, our healthcare decisions, and our lives. At the end of the day, this is why the Trump-Vance ticket is going to lose this November.” she said.
GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis also condemned the attacks. “Imane Khelif’s victory at the Paris 2024 Games should be celebrated, yet it has been overshadowed by baseless transphobia and misinformation. Imane is not transgender and does not identify as intersex,” Ellis said. “Imane Khelif’s win at the Paris 2024 Games should be a triumph for her and her home country, but it’s unfortunately been clouded by baseless transphobia, misinformation and hate,” Ellis said. “Imane is not transgender and does not identify as intersex. All Olympians should be able to compete free of discrimination and should be celebrated for their achievements in sport.”
