Gender Fluidity, Femininity, & the Policing of Women's Sports

Societal norms, impossible beauty standards, and the traditionalist sexism that colors the way many view women’s sports and why it needs to change

As Imane Khelif walks up to the ring for a chance to win a gold medal in boxing, there is a thick cloud of emotion that swirls around her. Khelif is a 25-year-old Olympian on the verge of her greatest achievement as an athlete. It should be a happy time in her life, instead it is one that has been filled with sexism, transphobia, bigotry, and hurtful rhetoric. Khelif came into the spotlight after her bout with Italian Olympian Angela Carini. The fight lasted 46 seconds before Carini retired from the match. What ensued in the aftermath was the workings of spin doctors making claims that Khelif was transgender.

As many soon found out, Khelif is not transgender. She was born a woman and identifies as a woman, who happens to represent a country (Algeria) that has outlawed transitioning. Khelif was born with higher testosterone levels than is normal for a cisgender woman and was born with XY chromosomes (which typically present in males). But Khelif is still a cisgender woman who does not identify as transgender or intersex. Her condition is called developmental sex difference (DSD), indicating mismatched sexual characteristics within a person’s genetics.