LTP News Sharing:
AP Photo/Themba Hadebe
No, you can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime you’ll find
You get what you need— The Rolling Stones
On Thursday, the Olympics put on a disgraceful show, pitting a man with XY chromosomes against a biological woman. Algeria’s Imane Khelif won the 16 welterweight bout over Italy’s Angela Carini after pummeling his opponent’s head over and over again. After having her head slammed by the biological male for 46 seconds, Carini was done. She removed herself from the match and then crumbled to the mat in tears. Everyone who watched saw that the Italian boxer was no match for the Algerian, who had been disqualified from previous competitions for testing positive for male chromosomes.
But equity must prevail in these situations.
Gender acrobats far and wide have been out declaring that it’s NOT A TRANSGENDER ISSUE because Khelifr hasn’t identified himself that way. There is speculation that he has a gender disorder that gives him both male and female sex characteristics, but I haven’t seen that officially confirmed anywhere. My colleague Rick Moran has more on that here. The lack of transparency from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been shameful and possibly even criminal (or at least legally actionable). They put a woman into a dangerous situation without concern for her safety.
It was obvious to everyone that Khelifr was “punching above his weight,” as the saying goes. He had no business being in the ring with a woman when it was clear that he had a biological advantage, whether due to being intersex or for some other reason.
Perhaps the Algerian boxer does have an issue with his genitalia or whatever they’re claiming at this hour. Does that mean he should be allowed to punch a woman who is not his biological equal in the face? What about her right to compete in the sport without worrying about her head being taken off?
After forfeiting the match, Carini said, “I am heartbroken. I went to the ring to honor my father. I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior, but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this.”
She added, “I got into the ring to fight. I didn’t give up. But one punch hurt too much, and so I said, ‘Enough.’ I’m going out with my head held high.” And her head attached to her body, she might have added.
Who could blame her for walking away? She was put in an impossible position and was set up to lose and possibly leave the ring with brain damage or another permanent disability.
Why? To appease the gender and “equity” gods who have taken over women’s sports and much of society.
They demand “equity” yet are not held accountable for the devastation left in the wake of these competitions that should never happen. Women should not be losing their scholarships or championships to biological men, but if you dare to speak up about it, you’re a bigot who deserves to be shamed and ostracized.
Here’s the thing: No one has a “right” to be in the Olympics. I can throw some heavy weights around the gym, but I don’t have a “right” to compete in the Olympics. Barring a miracle, my disabled grandson will never be an Olympian, no matter how loudly someone screams, “But his rights!!”
There are myriad reasons why people cannot and do not qualify to be in the Olympics. Yet officials bend over backward for this one category of people—those with gender disorders. They throw out all the standards and rules to perpetuate the myth that gender is fluid and people can be whatever they say they are, scientific evidence be damned.
Sometimes, life deals you a devastating blow. We live in a fallen, sin-sick world, which means that some people are born with conditions that make their lives miserable or even intolerable.
But that doesn’t mean they get to harm others.
If the Algerian boxer is indeed an intersex individual, I pity him. That’s a horrible thing to go through in life, and I have no doubt he’s suffered.
But the Adults in the Room (are there any left in the IOC?) need to step up and say, “I’m sorry, son. You have XY chromosomes, and we cannot allow you into the ring with a woman.”
Now, a woman’s Olympic dreams—something she’s trained and sacrificed for—are in a puddle on the mat in the boxing ring. She’ll never get that moment back. But perhaps her courage—her walking away and saying, “Enough is enough”—will result in lasting changes in sports competitions. I don’t think it will—the people running sporting events are too far gone and are in too deep to reverse course— but we can hope.
