Former President Donald Trump at a recent campaign rally in Pennsylvania renewed his criticism of two female Olympic boxers, wrongly identifying them as men. Trump’s speech primarily revolved around his pledge to uphold segregation in women’s sports and drifted towards the Tokyo Olympic Games and the controversies surrounding the gender identity of two athletes. Trump’s track record includes vocal opposition towards transgender individuals, particularly transgender athletes, employing language that LGBTQ+ activists find offensive and detrimental.
The subject of Trump’s latest commentary was Imane Khelif from Algeria and Li Yu-ting from Taiwan, both of whom were subjects of misconceptions regarding their gender due to the International Boxing Association disqualifying them from the world championships last year. The disqualification was due to allegations of failing an undisclosed eligibility test, with rumors swirling about their gender identity. Although Trump did not mention the boxers by name, he insinuated that two transgender individuals participated in boxing events at the Olympics, a claim refuted by the facts.
Despite being women from birth, Khelif and Lin faced unwarranted scrutiny over their gender due to the opaque eligibility tests imposed by the now-banned International Boxing Association. Trump, joined by other public figures, criticized the participation of Khelif in the games, persisting in referring to her as a man. During his speech, Trump expressed disbelief at the inclusion of both athletes in the Olympics, labeling it as “demeaning to women” and a representation of the prevailing confusion over gender, sex, and athletics in the Western world.
