New Delhi:

New York authorities have charged five individuals for the brutal torture and killing of a 24-year-old transgender man, whose body was dumped in an empty field after going through weeks of abuse.

Sam Nordquist was subjected to relentless physical and psychological torture, according to court documents. He was punched, kicked, beaten with sticks, dog toys, ropes, canes, belts, and even assaulted with a table leg and a broomstick for weeks before succumbing to his injuries.

Nordquist, originally from Minnesota, travelled to New York in September to meet his online girlfriend and was staying at Patty’s Lodge motel in Canandaigua, about 30 minutes from Rochester. His family raised concerns after losing contact with him.

Police launched a missing persons investigation on February 9, and on Thursday, they uncovered a “deeply disturbing pattern of abuse” at the motel, according to New York State Police Captain Kelly Swift.

“In my 20-year law enforcement career, this is one of the most horrific crimes I have ever investigated,” Ms Swift said at a press conference.

The suspects arrested are:

• Precious Arzuaga, 38, of Geneva, New York
• Jennifer A. Quijano, 30, of Geneva, New York
• Kyle Sage, 33, of Hopewell, New York
• Patrick A. Goodwin, 30, of Rochester, New York
• Emily Motyka, 19, of Lima, New York

All five were arraigned and are being held without bail at the Ontario County Jail.

Ontario County District Attorney Jim Ritts described the case as “beyond depraved,” pointing to the unimaginable suffering Nordquist endured before his death, as per The NY Post.

“No human being should have to endure what Sam endured,” Major Kevin Sucher, commander of the New York State Police troop overseeing the Finger Lakes region, said as per the Associated Press.

Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime, but Capt. Swift noted that the investigation is ongoing. Investigators are also working to determine Nordquist’s exact relationship with the suspects and their connections to one another.

“This is by far the worst homicide investigation that our office has ever been a part of,” Ritts added.

Washington:

Following a recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump, passport applications with “X” sex markers and changes to gender identity on existing passports have been frozen, since the order states that the US recognises only two sexes: male and female.

This move has been met with swift implementation by the US State Department, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio issuing a directive to staff on Thursday, reported the Guardian.

At the heart of the issue is the definition of sex and gender. Rubio’s email states, “The policy of the United States is that an individual’s sex is not changeable”. This stance is reinforced by Trump’s executive mandate, which declares that the US recognises only two sexes: male and female, describing them as an “immutable biological reality”.

His directive also states that “sex, and not gender, shall be used” in official documents such as passports and consular reports of birth abroad documents.

The implications of this policy are far-reaching, affecting both current and future passport applications. Staff at the State Department have been instructed to “suspend any application requesting an X sex marker” and to “suspend any application where the applicant is seeking to change their sex marker”. This move has raised concerns about the validity of existing passports with “X” identification, although the White House has clarified that these passports will remain valid, with issues arising only during renewals.

The state department started issuing passports with the non-binary third gender identification “X” in April 2022.

The executive order, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” has been criticised for its restrictive stance on gender identity. The order requires government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and entry cards, to reflect an individual’s “immutable biological classification as either male or female”.

In contrast, the State Department had begun issuing passports with the non-binary “X” gender marker in April 2022, in recognition of the diverse range of gender identities. However, with the new executive order in place, the processing of passport applications with “X” gender markers has been halted.

As the situation continues to unfold, it remains unclear how many passports currently use the “X” option. Nevertheless, the impact of this policy is likely to be significant, affecting not only individuals with non-binary gender identities but also the broader LGBTQ+ community.
 

Washington:

The Republican-led US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill severely restricting transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

The legislation would bar transgender students from female teams at any school or university that receives federal funding, although its adoption by the Senate and passage into law is unlikely.

The bill defines sex as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth” and restricts transgender athletes from participating in athletic activities “designated for women or girls.”

Republicans hammered Democrats on transgender issues — especially with it came to youth and sports — ahead of the 2024 election, capitalizing on a broader culture war over LGBTQ rights.

As transgender people — a small minority of the population — have become a more visible presence in the United States, sparking questions around gender norms and fairness, many conservatives have rallied around women’s sports.

“House Republicans yet again stood up for women,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement.

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end “transgender lunacy.”

The House garnered 218 votes for the bill, including two Democrats.

In the Senate, however, Republicans are unlikely to get enough Democrats on board to overcome the upper chamber’s 60-vote threshold on most legislation.

Advocacy group Equality California slammed the bill as “yet another effort to deny transgender youth the dignity and respect they deserve.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

JK Rowling has once again stirred controversy with her remarks on transgender issues. The Harry Potter author, in her latest post on X, claimed that transgender children “do not exist” and dismissed the concept of being “born in the wrong body.”

The controversy began on Sunday when an X user criticised Rowling for allegedly not using her influence for positive change. The user wrote, “I wish you would use your immense power for good. Your hateful focus on trans kids is hurtful and unnecessary.”

In response, JK Rowling wrote, “There are no trans kids. No child is ‘born in the wrong body’. There are only adults like you, prepared to sacrifice the health of minors to bolster your belief in an ideology that ends up wrecking more harm than lobotomies and false memory syndrome combined.”

There are no trans kids. No child is ‘born in the wrong body’. There are only adults like you, prepared to sacrifice the health of minors to bolster your belief in an ideology that will end up wreaking more harm than lobotomies and false memory syndrome combined. pic.twitter.com/yyc4MxgfOk

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 28, 2024

Her remarks met with immediate backlash, with critics accusing her of perpetuating harmful rhetoric against transgender individuals.

A user commented, “Isn’t that the same logic homophobic people used in the previous century against gays and lesbians?”

Isn’t that the same logic homophobic people used in the previous century against gays and lesbians? Jeez JK

— MR•BOMBASTIC (@mrbombastic2401) December 29, 2024

Another said, “You’re also a medical expert. Didn’t know that. This thing that everyone famous for anything feels the urge to act as an expert of something else… makes me crazy! I surely need to be visited by a novelist…” to which Rowling replied, “But being trans isn’t a medical condition, or so we’re told.”

But being trans isn’t a medical condition, or so we’re told.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 29, 2024

“Whatever you believe doesn’t matter. If a person feels and identifies as a different gender, who are you to judge? Let people be who they want to be. It doesn’t affect your life in any way shape of form. They’re not forcing their beliefs on your lifestyle. Stay in your own lane,” read a comment.

Whatever you believe doesn’t matter. If a person feels and identifies as a different gender, who are you to judge? Let people be who they want to be. It doesn’t affect your life in any way shape of form. They’re not forcing their beliefs on your lifestyle. Stay in your own lane.

— alexis bader (@alexis_bader) December 29, 2024

Rowling’s remarks also found support from some quarters. One user wrote, “You don’t need to be a medical expert to know right from wrong or child exploitation when you see it.”

You don’t need to be a medical expert to know right from wrong or child exploitation when you see it.

— EnoughsEnough (@EEnuph) December 30, 2024

This is not the first time JK Rowling has come under fire for her opinions on transgender issues. Back in August, she criticised Algerian boxer Imane Khelif’s participation in the Paris Olympics 2024, suggesting that Khelif, who defeated Italian boxer Angela Carini in a 46-second match, was a man competing against women. Rowling accused organisers of enabling “men’s power over women,” and criticised the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for allowing Khelif to compete.

The Boise State women’s volleyball team have withdrawn from the Mountain West Conference tournament, alleging that their opponent, San Jose State University (SJSU), had a transgender athlete on their roster. The championship finals started on Wednesday (Nov 27) in Las Vegas as Boise State qualified for the semis after beating Utah State in the quarter-finals. However, the team refused to play against SJSU after a court ruling allowed Blaire Fleming, the transgender athlete in question, to compete in the tournament.

“The decision to not continue to play in the 2024 Mountain West Volleyball Championship tournament was not an easy one,” Boise State said in a statement.

“Our team overcame forfeitures to earn a spot in the tournament field and fought for the win over Utah State in the first round on Wednesday. They should not have to forgo this opportunity while waiting for a more thoughtful and better system that serves all athletes,” it added.

Notably, it is not the first time when Boise State have forfeited their matches against SJSU. During the regular season, the team refused to play them on two occasions as other Mountain West teams such as Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada followed suit.

Also Read | US Transgender Volleyball Player Blaire Fleming Allowed To Compete In Women’s Championship

SJSU advance

Boise State’s refusal to play means that SJSU have moved unopposed to the tournament final, scheduled to take place on Saturday where the winner of top-seeded Colorado State and No. 5 San Diego State will potentially square off against them.

Reacting to Boise State’s stance, SJSU released a statement saying they were ‘disappointed’ with the decision but added that their team was preparing for the championship final.

“In this time of Thanksgiving, we are especially thankful for those who continue to engage in civil and respectful discourse. We celebrate and support all of our students, including our student-athletes as they compete for our community on this holiday weekend,” SJSU told CNN.

Earlier this week, US District Judge S Kato Crews delivered a judgment allowing Ms Fleming to play in the tournament after several opposing players as well as Fleming’s teammates filed a lawsuit against the team and the tournament organisers for allowing the transgender athlete to play in the women’s tournament.

The plaintiffs claimed that university and conference officials violated their Title IX rights, which ensures that men and women are treated fairly in educational settings, including collegiate sports.

Washington:

Delaware state senator Sarah McBride won a seat in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, making her the first openly transgender politician elected to Congress.

The Democrat was the comfortable winner against Republican John Whalen III, US news networks projected, as she built up an unassailable lead with around two-thirds of ballots counted.

“Delaware has sent the message loud and clear that we must be a country that protects reproductive freedom… and that this is a democracy that is big enough for all of us,” she said in a statement posted to social media.

McBride told CBS in a recent interview her other priorities would be “affordable child care, paid family and medical leave, housing, health care.”

Transgender rights have become a hot-button issue in the US election — with the participation of trans people in competitive sports and the issue of access to gender-affirming care for minors triggering fiery debate.

Democrats broadly support transgender rights but many Republicans denounce what they see as political correctness that ignores the erosion of biological women’s rights to their own spaces, from bathrooms and prisons to sports contests.

The fight has dominated TV advertising in the White House race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, with the Republican former president accusing Democrats last year of “left-wing gender insanity” with respect to transgender youth.

The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund congratulated McBride for “making history” in American politics.

“Sarah’s voice is vital, and she will continue to be a tireless advocate for her constituents and community,” the group said.

The fund has identified at least 62 transgender candidates running this year across the country — nearly double the 34 who ran in 2020.

They include former Spanish teacher Mel Manuel, who identifies as transgender and nonbinary and was running for a seat in Louisiana, one of the most traditionally conservative in the country.

But they were trailing Republican heavyweight Steve Scalise by almost 50 percentage points in the early stages of the count.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Republican Vice-Presidential nominee JD Vance recently triggered a row by making controversial remarks on transgender and nonbinary people, suggesting that some white children are incentivised to “become” trans to get college admissions into Ivy Leagues.

Mr Vance made the statement during an interview podcast with Joe Rogan.

“If you are a middle-class or upper-middle-class white parent, and the only thing that you care about is whether your child goes into Harvard or Yale, obviously that pathway has become a lot harder for a lot of upper-middle class kids…The one way that those people can participate in the DEI (Diversity, equity, and inclusion) bureaucracy in this country is to be trans,” he told Mr Rogan.

Mr Vance also had some outrageous views on transgender rights and whether they should be allowed to play on sports teams that match their gender identity.

“I’m the father of a two-year-old daughter. I don’t want her going into athletic competitions where I’m terrified she’s gonna get bludgeoned to death because we’re allowing a six-foot-one male to compete with her in sports,” he said.

According to Mr Vance, Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump may get the “normal gay” vote.

“I won’t be surprised if Trump won the normal gay guy vote because again, they just wanted to be left alone,” he said.

Abortion Rights

Mr Vance also touched upon abortion rights in the US and spoke dismissively of it. According to him, women are “publicly celebrating their abortions by baking birthday cakes and posting about it” – which Mr Rogan disagreed with.

“I think it’s six weeks is a limit to when you can have an abortion, which a lot of people think then you can’t even tell whether or not you are pregnant, and this puts a lot of women in very vulnerable positions. And then there is this thought that they could go to another state where it is legal and have an abortion, but they could be possibly prosecuted for that in their state. That’s concerning to me,” Mr Rogan said.

To this, Mr Vance said that he has “not heard of any women being arrested for traveling to have an abortion”.

Mr Vance, in the three-hour episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, also spoke on Mr Trump’s assassination attempt and climate change. He also joked about recent US President Joe Biden’s “garbage” comment against Mr Trump, saying that Mr Biden is helping the former US President win the election.

During the Assembly session in July 2024, Woman and Child Empowerment Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar had said that 3,403 individuals from sexual minorities were allotted houses under the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and Devaraj Urs housing schemes.
| Photo Credit: UMESH S SHETTIGAR

In July, the Karnataka government announced that the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, under which ₹2,000 is being given to the female head of houses, will be extended to transgender women too. Many transwomen applied on the portal. But this month, most of them did not receive the benefits. 

The government had mandated the possession of transgender (TG) card for transwomen to apply for this scheme. “Around 40 of us, who have TG cards applied for the scheme as soon as they announced it. But we have not received any benefits until now. With Shakti, it is easier as we have our Aadhaar cards. When it comes to Gruha Lakshmi, there are some hurdles,” said Sudha, a transwoman from Mysuru. 

The officials from the Department of Women and Child Development said that while the facility for transgenders to avail the benefits of Gruha Lakshmi is open, many of them have not been able to avail it due to non-availability of TG cards. “According to the latest number, just 3,052 people from Karnataka have their TG cards. We are encouraging all of them to apply to the scheme,” a senior official said. 

Not just Gruha Lakshmi, but transgender persons say that the Mythri scheme under which they receive a monthly pension has not reached them properly the last few months.

“In this year’s budget, the government revised the pension amount from ₹800 to ₹1,200. But we have not received any money at all in the last two months,” said Maya S. R. Nayak, State Convenor, North Karnataka, The Alliance for Gender and Sexuality Minorities Social Justice. 

Monica, a transwoman from Ramanagara district, also said that it has been four to five months since the transgenders in the district received the pension. “We are also not getting the specified amount. Some months, we have received only ₹600,” she said. 

Housing confusion 

During last month’s Assembly session, Woman and Child Empowerment Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar had said that 3,403 individuals from sexual minorities were allotted houses under the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and Devaraj Urs housing schemes.

Transgender activists disagree with the number given by the Minister. It has been more than two years since they announced these housing schemes, but the members of our community have hardly received its benefits. “We have been fighting for housing rights for the past 10 – 15 years,” Ms. Nayak said. 

Speaking about the harassment faced by the transgender community at the hands of house owners, she said, “If they cannot build houses for us, they can at least give us a plot and we will put up tin sheds and live there. No government has ever supported us when it comes to housing.” 

Activists say that the construction of houses for some sexual minorities in Mysuru and around Bengaluru is going on, but that is only a small number. 

“It was announced in the 2021 – 22 budget that these houses should be allotted on a priority basis under Rajiv Gandhi Housing scheme. While we are the nodal agency, the housing board is responsible for giving them houses. We have prepared the list of beneficiaries in each district after verifying their records. Out of the 3,403 houses which were announced, we have been able to identify 2,900 allottees,” said Pushpalatha H., Managing Director, Karnataka State Women’s Development Corporation. 

She added that the houses are being allotted to those who already have sites. “For those who do not, the gram panchayat or city corporations should allot sites, and then the houses can be constructed.” 

The kind of bullying and abuse Olympic boxer Imane Khelif has been subjected to makes one thing crystal clear: in the age of social media, misinformation is easiest to amplify when it’s rooted in misogyny, transphobia and racism, and amplified by verified, blue-ticked accounts on X. It has also made it clear that trans-hate will eventually come to haunt all women who do not fit traditional, conservative definitions of femininity.

Now that Imane Khelif has refused to take the online abuse in silence and is suing the key amplifiers – J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk – let’s revisit the brutal online hate campaign unleashed against the Olympic gold medallist, all for being a ‘non-feminine’ woman of colour. 

The Prime Purveyors Of Hate

On August 1, after facing Khelif for a whopping 45-second battle, Italian boxer Angela Carini forfeited the match. Later, she would tell the press, “I have never been punched so hard” and shed tears in front of the camera, as anyone would have in her position. However, seeing a white woman cry on television was, of course, too much to bear for champions of women’s rights like author J. K. Rowling, who has had a history of making transphobic comments. Rowling cried foul on X about a “man” punching a woman and about men’s rights activism having gone too far. Even the owner of X, Elon Musk, could not resist chiming in. It’s another story that Musk’s own views about transgender persons are worth some scrutiny and may be best described by his estranged daughter who he refuses to acknowledge.

The Imane Khelif case underlines a hard but unsurprising truth: we are not as progressive in 2024 as we would like to believe. Sure, there are more people today who are accepting of queer rights, gender equality, and just human rights in general, but in the country called the internet, this population is sparse.

Trans Hate Is Misogyny

When two people with a combined following of over 200 million people put out such derogatory posts against a woman, their legions of followers are bound to spew out the same misinformation, often with vile language. But Rowling and Musk’s comments also fanned the fire of deep-rooted transphobia and misogyny that still burns in all stratas of human classes, races, and nationalities. 

Trans hate is just another catalyst for overall misogyny. Groups abound on Reddit and Facebook where people aligned with the Rowling ideology simply attack any female celebrity they don’t think is “woman enough” and must therefore, be a transsexual or transgender; there is a word for this group too, “transvestigators”.  For example, if you like to lift weights and be muscular, then you are not feminine, and hence make for a perfect target for these ‘tranvestigators’. Like sports? Big cars? Not dainty, petite, blonde, and light-eyed enough? Wear too much makeup as if to hide male appearance? Wear too little makeup because you are a man trying to pass off as a ‘sporty woman’? Well, women who exhibit such traits “aren’t women”, according to tranvestigators. 

Coming back to the hate campaign against Khelif. Soon after her win in Paris and its fallout, conservative-leaning media outlets and social media handles started talking about her 2023 disqualification by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for failing a ‘gender eligibility test’. No matter the fact that the IBA itself was questioned by the Olympics for their ‘methods’ and that there have been accusations of corruption as well. The International Olympic Association (IOC) banned the IBA last year over its governance and finance issues, with the Olympic body allowing the boxing competition to be held in Paris. But alas, this grain of truth was buried deep under the rubble of misinformation that flooded the internet. 

A number of questions have been raised amid this storm. “How can ‘he’ be a woman?”, “IBA must have banned ‘him’ for a reason!”, “XY is a man! Only men have Testosterone!”, “He clearly looks like a man. He is built like a man.” 

Let’s try to answer them. 

Man, Woman, Other?

Khelif’s story is very Dangal-like. Indian audiences, if they read her full interview with UNICEF, may relate to the story of a young girl joining a sport that’s dominated by men. But unlike Dangal, she did not have a father ready to fight the world. She fought mostly alone in her childhood, while her family battled poverty to feed their children and sustain the family.

There’s also the fact that Algeria is a deeply religious Islamic country, where being trans may invite a host of legal challenges. If any of the ‘tranvestigators’ like Rowling or Musk followers had bothered to do a simple Google search, they would know Algeria would probably never send a ‘trans’ person to represent their country in the Olympics.  

XX or XY?

Doesn’t matter, honestly. Anyone who has studied genetics and chromosomes can answer this: the set of chromosomes that define sex (not gender) are named so based on their shape. Zoya Fatima, a teacher at Jamia Senior Secondary School, explains that women have two chromosomes shaped like ‘X’, while in men, one of them is shaped like a ‘Y’. “Genetic mutation can cause a foetus with XX to have a Y-shaped chromosome,” she explains, “They can have all female genitalia, even uterus in some cases, but ovaries in almost all cases are non-functional. But they can be mothers via IVF and have normal pregnancies. So it is incorrect to say that all XY automatically classify as male and man.”

If we were to go by the definitions recommended by conservative social media, then millions of women would immediately lose their right to be called a woman for having elevated testosterone levels. While testosterone is considered the ‘male hormone’, women produce it too – many with hormonal disorders, such as PCOS, tend to produce too much of it. Will these conditions void a woman’s right to be called a ‘woman’? 

If we consider science for our definitions, the majority of women with XY or XXY or XXYY chromosomal structures have one common denominator: a non-functional ovary. So that begs the question, is a perfectly functional ovary fundamental for being classified as a ‘woman’? If yes, what about a few thousand women who have ovarian insufficiency? Will they cease to be known as women? 

The Question Of Race

Women of colour who don’t fit conservative definitions of femininity have always had it worse. Barely a day before her match, Khelif’s Hungarian opponent, Luca Hamori, posted an incendiary picture on Instagram that showed Khelif as a ‘beast’. For centuries now, Black women have been mocked for their ‘masculinity’. Not too far in India itself, sprinter Duttee Chand had been on the receiving end of primitive gender tests. “In 2014, I challenged the IOC’s rule that a person with a higher testosterone level should not participate in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. It was noted that hormonal levels cannot increase athletic performance. I suffered a lot at that time. I faced a lot of controversy regarding my gender,” Chand told PTI after the Imane Khelif controversy erupted.

The abuse and attacks Imane Khelif has faced online will be remembered for years to come. The key takeaway is this: misinformation driven by racist, misogynist ideologies often travels much, much faster than the truth. 

(Anwiti Singh is Assistant Producer, NDTV)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

The kind of bullying and abuse Olympic boxer Imane Khelif has been subjected to makes one thing crystal clear: in the age of social media, misinformation is easiest to amplify when it’s rooted in misogyny, transphobia and racism, and amplified by verified, blue-ticked accounts on X. It has also made it clear that trans-hate will eventually come to haunt all women who do not fit traditional, conservative definitions of femininity.

Now that Imane Khelif has refused to take the online abuse in silence and is suing the key amplifiers – J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk – let’s revisit the brutal online hate campaign unleashed against the Olympic gold medallist, all for being a ‘non-feminine’ woman of colour. 

The Prime Purveyors Of Hate

On August 1, after facing Khelif for a whopping 45-second battle, Italian boxer Angela Carini forfeited the match. Later, she would tell the press, “I have never been punched so hard” and shed tears in front of the camera, as anyone would have in her position. However, seeing a white woman cry on television was, of course, too much to bear for champions of women’s rights like author J. K. Rowling, who has had a history of making transphobic comments. Rowling cried foul on X about a “man” punching a woman and about men’s rights activism having gone too far. Even the owner of X, Elon Musk, could not resist chiming in. It’s another story that Musk’s own views about transgender persons are worth some scrutiny and may be best described by his estranged daughter who he refuses to acknowledge.

The Imane Khelif case underlines a hard but unsurprising truth: we are not as progressive in 2024 as we would like to believe. Sure, there are more people today who are accepting of queer rights, gender equality, and just human rights in general, but in the country called the internet, this population is sparse.

Trans Hate Is Misogyny

When two people with a combined following of over 200 million people put out such derogatory posts against a woman, their legions of followers are bound to spew out the same misinformation, often with vile language. But Rowling and Musk’s comments also fanned the fire of deep-rooted transphobia and misogyny that still burns in all stratas of human classes, races, and nationalities. 

Trans hate is just another catalyst for overall misogyny. Groups abound on Reddit and Facebook where people aligned with the Rowling ideology simply attack any female celebrity they don’t think is “woman enough” and must therefore, be a transsexual or transgender; there is a word for this group too, “transvestigators”.  For example, if you like to lift weights and be muscular, then you are not feminine, and hence make for a perfect target for these ‘tranvestigators’. Like sports? Big cars? Not dainty, petite, blonde, and light-eyed enough? Wear too much makeup as if to hide male appearance? Wear too little makeup because you are a man trying to pass off as a ‘sporty woman’? Well, women who exhibit such traits “aren’t women”, according to tranvestigators. 

Coming back to the hate campaign against Khelif. Soon after her win in Paris and its fallout, conservative-leaning media outlets and social media handles started talking about her 2023 disqualification by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for failing a ‘gender eligibility test’. No matter the fact that the IBA itself was questioned by the Olympics for their ‘methods’ and that there have been accusations of corruption as well. The International Olympic Association (IOC) banned the IBA last year over its governance and finance issues, with the Olympic body allowing the boxing competition to be held in Paris. But alas, this grain of truth was buried deep under the rubble of misinformation that flooded the internet. 

A number of questions have been raised amid this storm. “How can ‘he’ be a woman?”, “IBA must have banned ‘him’ for a reason!”, “XY is a man! Only men have Testosterone!”, “He clearly looks like a man. He is built like a man.” 

Let’s try to answer them. 

Man, Woman, Other?

Khelif’s story is very Dangal-like. Indian audiences, if they read her full interview with UNICEF, may relate to the story of a young girl joining a sport that’s dominated by men. But unlike Dangal, she did not have a father ready to fight the world. She fought mostly alone in her childhood, while her family battled poverty to feed their children and sustain the family.

There’s also the fact that Algeria is a deeply religious Islamic country, where being trans may invite a host of legal challenges. If any of the ‘tranvestigators’ like Rowling or Musk followers had bothered to do a simple Google search, they would know Algeria would probably never send a ‘trans’ person to represent their country in the Olympics.  

XX or XY?

Doesn’t matter, honestly. Anyone who has studied genetics and chromosomes can answer this: the set of chromosomes that define sex (not gender) are named so based on their shape. Zoya Fatima, a teacher at Jamia Senior Secondary School, explains that women have two chromosomes shaped like ‘X’, while in men, one of them is shaped like a ‘Y’. “Genetic mutation can cause a foetus with XX to have a Y-shaped chromosome,” she explains, “They can have all female genitalia, even uterus in some cases, but ovaries in almost all cases are non-functional. But they can be mothers via IVF and have normal pregnancies. So it is incorrect to say that all XY automatically classify as male and man.”

If we were to go by the definitions recommended by conservative social media, then millions of women would immediately lose their right to be called a woman for having elevated testosterone levels. While testosterone is considered the ‘male hormone’, women produce it too – many with hormonal disorders, such as PCOS, tend to produce too much of it. Will these conditions void a woman’s right to be called a ‘woman’? 

If we consider science for our definitions, the majority of women with XY or XXY or XXYY chromosomal structures have one common denominator: a non-functional ovary. So that begs the question, is a perfectly functional ovary fundamental for being classified as a ‘woman’? If yes, what about a few thousand women who have ovarian insufficiency? Will they cease to be known as women? 

The Question Of Race

Women of colour who don’t fit conservative definitions of femininity have always had it worse. Barely a day before her match, Khelif’s Hungarian opponent, Luca Hamori, posted an incendiary picture on Instagram that showed Khelif as a ‘beast’. For centuries now, Black women have been mocked for their ‘masculinity’. Not too far in India itself, sprinter Duttee Chand had been on the receiving end of primitive gender tests. “In 2014, I challenged the IOC’s rule that a person with a higher testosterone level should not participate in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. It was noted that hormonal levels cannot increase athletic performance. I suffered a lot at that time. I faced a lot of controversy regarding my gender,” Chand told PTI after the Imane Khelif controversy erupted.

The abuse and attacks Imane Khelif has faced online will be remembered for years to come. The key takeaway is this: misinformation driven by racist, misogynist ideologies often travels much, much faster than the truth. 

(Anwiti Singh is Assistant Producer, NDTV)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author