Imane Khelif and transphobia’s impact on cis women

Algerian boxer Imane Kherif had been in the ring for less than a minute when her opponent, Italian boxer Angela Carini, abandoned the bout. While the reasons for Carini’s decision were unclear at the time, transphobic politicians, podcasters and internet users took to social media to “blame” Kherif for being a transgender woman competing.

But Khelif teeth A cisgender woman.

“The Algerian boxer was born as a woman, is registered as a woman, lives as a woman, boxes as a woman and has a female passport,” International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said at a press conference on Friday. “This is not a transgender case.”

Another Olympian, Lin Yu-ting of Thailand, has faced similar attacks, particularly from one of the UK’s most notorious transphobes, “Woman Who Shall Not Be Named.” Despite the IOC confirming the gender of these athletes, people continue to question their identities and share false opinions and posts about their chromosomes.

Congratulations to all the netizens who have earned their Cytogenetics degrees this week.

Female athletes who don’t fit certain beauty standards face varying degrees of transphobic rhetoric from commentators, and not just in the world of sports.

When Yves Gilles was crowned Miss France 2024 last year, her slim figure and Very chic She cut her hair short. Condemnation and criticism sparked cries of “wokeness” at the century-old beauty pageant.

Sadly, there were no transgender intruders. Jill was born a cisgender woman and was proud of her pixie cut, while the winner had long hair and tellIndependent, “No one should dictate who you are.”

Suspecting cisgender women as transgender is nothing new, especially when it comes to women of color. Caster Semenya After winning gold at the 2009 World Championships, she was forced to undergo testing after she was unable to speed up due to suspected drug use. Serena and Venus Williams Ridiculed In a video published earlier this year, a TikTok user accused basketball star Teela McCowan of being transgender, but the video has since been removed. Repulsion From her fans.

While some may say “sticks and stones won’t break your bones,” words can hurt in an increasingly hostile, transphobic environment — and cisgender women can easily become victims of transphobic attacks.

In October, Jasmine Adams walked into a Staten Island store to buy marijuana when the cashier called her a transgender derogatory term because of her appearance. He assaulted her and eventually dragged her out of the store by her hair.

Adams, 35, teeth Cis woman.

Last June, Michelle Dionne Peacock was murdered by her neighbor, Tommy Earl, in Richmond, Indiana. The two had been having problems since they lived in the same apartment building. One day, Earl decided to take matters into his own hands. After his arrest, Earl Mentioned To her, it was “men who act like women.”

Peacock, 59, was Cis woman.

For years, trans people have been sounding the alarm about the impact of transphobia extending beyond trans bodies. Hope Gisele, Raquel Willis, and many others have spoken out about the ugliness of transphobia and how it can be weaponized against cisgender women for doing the same thing: living their lives.

This goes beyond transphobic tweets and posts. Bills aimed at restricting transgender people’s access to bathrooms and medical care have been introduced in the name of protecting cisgender women, who are increasingly vulnerable to these policies and attacks. And the attempt to control transgender people certainly won’t stop there.

So, cisgender people, are we fighting for equality together?