Is Imane Khelif Male Or Female? Here's What We Know

Carini, struck twice and visibly shaken, reportedly cried out, "This is not right," before falling to her knees after the forfeiture. This situation has sparked outrage that Carini was put in a position where she had to fight someone with a documented advantage, while others argue that it was fair because Khelif is an "intersex female."

Background on the Controversy

The saga began during the Women’s World Boxing Championships in March 2023 in New Delhi, India. This event, the largest in its history with 324 boxers from 64 nations, marked the disqualification of several athletes, including Khelif.

Umar Kremlev, president of the IBA, announced that DNA tests had revealed some athletes had “XY chromosomes” and were therefore excluded from competing as women. Khelif, set to compete in the welterweight final, was one such athlete.

The IBA explained Khelif’s exclusion as a failure to meet eligibility criteria, a claim strongly denied by the Algerian Olympic Committee. They alleged a conspiracy against their athlete, citing "high testosterone levels" as the reason for Khelif's removal, and vowed to support Khelif’s participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, IBA clearly stated that it did not test Khelif for testosterone but used a "separate and recognized test" that determined its decision.

Khelif could have challenged the ruling and offered evidence to refute it, such as a doctor's testimony or additional testing, but ultimately chose not to. Khelif's medical information and test results from IBA must be kept confidential unless Khelif agrees to release them. Thus far, Khelif has not.

Reactions from the Boxing Community

Mexican boxer Brianda Tamara, who competed against Khelif, expressed relief at the decision, saying, "When I fought with her, I felt very out of my depth. Her blows hurt me a lot, I don’t think I had ever felt like that in my 13 years as a boxer, nor in my sparring with men."

Khelif has never publicly identified as transgender, leading to speculations of Difference of Sexual Development (DSD). DSDs encompass a variety of medical conditions where genitalia are atypical in relation to chromosomes or gonads. This category was made widely known by South African runner Caster Semenya’s case, who, like Khelif, has XY chromosomes and male gonads but was raised and competed as a female.

Misconceptions About DSD and "Intersex"

Some of the confusion has arisen because many people misunderstand the concept of being "intersex." Intersex is not a singular diagnosis but instead covers a range of conditions known as Differences in Sexual Development (DSD). Human hermaphroditism does not exist; all people are born either male or female, though some have atypical genitalia.

Male development depends on testosterone production by the testes. Females exposed to testosterone in utero, not produced by their body, remain female but may have affected reproductive development.

Some also speculate that there is a concerning trend of poorer countries exploiting male athletes with DSDs, such as alpha-5 reductase deficiency (referred to as “Guevedoces," which translates to “penis at 12”) or Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (PAIS), by listing them as female in order to gain money and acclaim.

Some are circulating pictures that are supposedly of Khelif as a child and dressed like a girl, but others have explained why that doesn't mean he was "born female." Rather, they contend that he was born male and wrongly determined to be female because of his atypical genitalia, but his genitalia and features became distinctly male during puberty.

It's also interesting to note that Khelif's supporters almost exclusively share these images as "proof" instead of sharing photos of Khelif's current physical appearance.

The Case of Imane Khelif

Given all available evidence thus far, many believe it's most plausible that Khelif was born male with atypical genitalia, which likely became distinctly male during puberty. This speculation is strengthened by Khelif’s dominant athletic performance.

The IBA has also maintained a firm stance and issued a second statement stating that Khelif should not be competing with women. Given the powerful influence and coercive tactics of the trans lobby and their media allies, the IBA's unwavering position suggests they have compelling evidence that Khelif is not eligible to compete with women.

Broader Implications for Athletic Integrity

For the majority of Americans, the Olympic Committee's decision to ignore Khelif's disqualification from the IBA and conduct no further testing raises critical questions about the ethics and fairness of allowing athletes with significant physiological advantages to compete in women’s categories.

However, those who support transgender ideologies continue to insist Khelif is female and to decry all criticism of the match-up. The creator of Glitch Energy even went as far as to say Carini "sucked" and called her a "p*ssy" for crying after the fight.

Others, like commentator Allie Beth Stuckey, have had a different response.

"Based on all the information we have, this seems to be the truth about Imane Khalif: Khalif has XY chromosomes and appears to have been marked as 'female' at birth because of a Disorder of Sex Development that causes malformation/lack of formation of genitalia. It is not factual to say Khalif is a woman," Stuckey explained.

"It is also not true, as far as we know, to say Khalif is 'trans.' The presence of XY chromosomes, however, does mean that Khalif is male and has testosterone levels far above female levels," she added. "This gives a distinct, unfair advantage, which is why the International Boxing Association ruled Khalif ineligible to compete against women."

"Khalif was likely sought after *because* of the condition that allows one to 'pass' as female while still having male advantages. Khalif did not have to choose a sport in which he would be pummeling smaller, weaker women for money," she concluded.

Others have pointed out the convoluted contradictions of modern gender theories that change based on whatever best serves their agenda to erase biological distinctions and their implications.

Addressing the Spread of Misinformation

The co-founder of Reduxx Magazine, the outlet that broke the story about Khelif's IBA disqualification, also responded to misinformation surrounding the controversy with the following points:

High Testosterone: Khelif was never tested for testosterone levels. Claims of disqualification due to testosterone abnormalities were made by Algerian sporting bodies, which have motives to lie.

Female ID: Khelif is not transgender but is believed to have a Difference of Sexual Development (DSD). His identification documents and being raised as a girl is irrelevant due to his medical condition.

XY Chromosomes: IBA President Umar Kremlev stated on March 25, 2023, that the disqualified boxers had XY chromosomes, referring to Khelif and an additional boxer.

Kremlev’s Honesty: The IBA confirmed that Khelif was tested with a chromosomal test, not a hormone test. The IBA’s guidelines define a woman as having XX chromosomes.

Test Release: The IBA cannot release the test results due to medical privacy, but Khelif can. He has not done so.

Appeal Process: Khelif withdrew his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). If genuinely female, he and the other disqualified fighter would have used the CAS to prove it publicly, as CAS decisions are public.

"Please ask yourself why," the Reduxx founder added. "If they were genuinely female, why would they have chosen to refuse their opportunity to establish that in an irrefutable and legally binding way at a fully independent venue? Literally, none of this would have happened had they simply submitted their tests to the CAS."

"Consider that all decisions at the CAS are public information," she went on. "It was through a CAS challenge that the world became aware that Caster Semenya had XY chromosomes, for example. If Khelif and Lin had proceeded through the CAS, there would have been irrefutable evidence, documented by an independent body, that they were either male or female. So why? Why did they not want the CAS to examine their tests? Why did they not want this information to be public? I think the reason is obvious."

IOC Approval for 2024: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stopped sex testing in 1999. Since then, they have deferred to individual sporting bodies to ensure athletes were eligible. However, for the 2024 Paris Olympics, there is no formal oversight body for boxing. This was the first time this ever happened, and as a result, the IOC created an ad-hoc boxing unit to temporarily oversee the boxing competitions in Paris. This unit has no guidelines for gender eligibility and has been allowing boxers to compete "as females" if they have female gender markers on their passports or legal documents.

Alleged IBA Corruption: The IOC has criticized the IBA for its refusal to disqualify Russian athletes, which is neither an accurate representation of the IBA nor relevant to the issue of male boxers competing with females. The IBA has no history of fabricating claims about boxers' sex.

Additionally, the Vice President of the World Boxing Association recently affirmed that Khelif has been known to be "biologically male" since 2022 and expressed his shock that the Olympics did not intervene.

Conspiracy Theories About "Russian Corruption"

In another desperate attempt to distort the facts, some are now sharing theories of "Russian interference," spurred on by the Associated Press.

The AP suggested that Khelif was somehow being “punished” for beating Azalia Amineva in the IBA 2023 tournament. However, none of the Russian boxers advanced to the finals, so disqualifying Khelif wouldn’t have put them in a more favorable position.

Additionally, multiple other boxers beat their Russian opponents at that tournament and advanced to win gold, and none of them were “punished” for directly beating these Russian competitors.

The bizarre narrative further falls apart when one learns that Lin Yu-Ting, the other boxer disqualified by the IBA for XY chromosomes, was never matched against a single Russian boxer.

Ethical Considerations and the Future of Women's Sports

Some argue that excluding individuals with DSD or transgender athletes from women’s sports reinforces negative stereotypes about female "weakness," while others assert that it's necessary to preserve fair competition and the safety of female athletes. The difference that proponents of eliminating sex categories in sports can't seem to acknowledge is that biological differences between males and females matter.

Whether an athlete is an intersex male or a man who identifies as a woman, the unfairness and the denial of biological reality stay the same. To continue pushing for such inclusions in sports does not address the fairness and safety of women.

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