Imane Khelif and the Roots of Gender Policing at the Olympics

The false allegations, hatred, and bullying directed against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is a global disgrace. Here are some facts to keep in mind:

🏅 Imane Khelif is not transgender and does not identify as intersex.
🏅Making false allegations about athletes' gender (typically based on sexist and heteronormative assumptions) is a form of harassment and bullying.
🏅White, Eurocentric ideals of femininity contribute to the heightened gender policing of female athletes of color from the Global South.
🏅The International Olympic Committee has clearly stated that there should be no presumed advantage based on sex assigned at birth or sex characteristics.
🏅Hormonal level cannot increase performance.

As a Women's and Gender Studies professor for 20+ years, I can attest that gender policing of Olympians is not new. It has its roots in Nazi Germany (link in the comments) where two White women runners were accused of being men at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

One of these runners, Helen Stephens, was a double Olympic champion who grew up in Fulton, Missouri--just 30 min. from my house! Known as the "Fulton Flash," Helen was also a lesbian. She lived with her partner Mabel O. Robbe, from 1950 until Mabel's death in 1986.

When Helen competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics, she and Polish runner Stanisława Walasiewicz (Stella Walsh) were the first female athletes to be accused of being men. The IOC performed exams and both runners were declared to be women.

In 1937, Look Magazine ran a cruel, dehumanizing photo and article about Helen Stephens under the headline "What do you think? Is this a man or a woman?" encouraging readers to "test themselves" on their ability to correctly determine the athlete's gender.

It's almost a century later, and female athletes who don't conform to normative femininity are still fighting for their dignity and human rights. But today, high-performing athletes of color from the Global South are the ones being targeted. For example, South African runner Caster Semenya and Indian sprinter Dutee Chand were subjected to tests because they were deemed to be too fast and/or too muscular.

Please educate yourself about these issues, and don't amplify the misinformation, transphobia, and gendered racism circulating online!

Image description: Photo collage. On the left is a contemporary photo of boxer Imane Khelif with arms crossed and cornrows in her hair, looking directly at the camera. On the right is an archival image from Look Magazine (1937) with the headline "when is a Woman Actually a Woman?" featuring several Olympics athletes including Helen Stephens, an American athlete and a double Olympic champion in 1936. In the photo Stephens is running and appears slim and androgynous. The header for the photo of Stephens reads, "What Do You Think? Is This a Man or A Woman?"