Culture War Confusion: KevinH
Seemingly every day in our current age is filled with a new culture war issue on which one or both sides of the political divide are filled with outrage and disdain.
One of the most recent circumstances involves Imane Khelif, an Olympic boxer from Algeria. On Thursday, Khelif won her first fight of these current Olympics by delivering a punch so powerful that it caused her opponent to withdraw just forty-six seconds into the fight. Soon after, all hell broke loose online and elsewhere.
You see, Khelif had previously been disqualified by some other boxing organizations from competing as a female, as it was deemed that she had too many male characteristics. When this quickly became widely known, many of those who fight against transgender women (i.e. those who are or were born biologically male but now identify as female) competing in women’s sports went on the attack and decried the evilness of the Olympics for allowing Khelif to participate in women’s boxing, oftentimes encapsulating Khelif, herself, into the evil plot.
Now, I am in total agreement with those who believe it is wrong for transgender women to be allowed to compete in women’s sports, as transgender women have natural physical and biological characteristics and abilities which give them an unfair advantage. While I sympathize with the plight of those who have gender confusion and/or feel like they are the opposite sex as their biological bodies, I also believe it is a slap in the face to women’s rights and all women who have always been biologically female to make them compete against transgender women. All the more, I believe it unnecessarily creates uncomfortable and troubling locker room and personal privacy circumstances. Even in some cases depending on the sport, I believe it also places women at risk of undue physical harm.
However, in the case of Imane Khelif, things are not nearly so cut and dry. The thing is, Khelif has always identified as female, including under her parents’ care from the beginning of her life, and she has never claimed to be transgender. Some common sense, or a quick google search, would bring one to realize that her culturally Muslim dominated country, Algeria, does not accept transgenderism and would not be trying to put forth a transgender athlete to compete in women’s sports. It would seem that Khelif is one of those very small percentage of people who are born intersex – having some ambiguity as to their biological sex.
Having to live one’s life under such a condition must be really hard. People with such a condition must have to deal with such social stigmas, suspicions, and humiliation and internal emotional and psychological conflicts which the large majority of us never even have to give thought to. They must have continual challenges interacting with and navigating social and personal circumstances. It is a condition I would never wish upon anyone.
So how do you think it makes Iman Khelif feel to suddenly be surround by a big firestorm, filled with people outraged about her supposed transgender advocacy and symbolism of LGBTQ+ rights? How do you think it makes her feel to see that so many of these outraged people are Christian? I do not know what faith, if any, that Khelif professes, but given Algerian demographics show that the Muslim population is in the high nineties percentage wise, and that the Christian population is one percent or less, it would be a pretty safe bet to say that she’s probably not a Christian. That being the highly likely case, what do you think her impression of Jesus Christ is right now after many Christians have bombarded her and her situation with their anger and indignity? Do you think she is feeling the love, care, and compassion of Jesus, or might she be receiving a completely different picture of who Jesus is?
I do not know if it was the right decision or not to allow Iman Khelif to participate in women’s boxing in the Olympics.
But this I do know – Participation in the culture wars so often causes Christians to hurt others and bring adulteration to the name of Jesus Christ. Iman Khelif is the latest victim.
Partisan politics are poison to the soul.
Jesus is the cure.
So the SJWs on the right are complaining about a non-transgender FEMALE boxer who excelled in her sport and took down her opponent in record time? I guess they never heard of female WWF wrestlers or bodybuilders or MMA people either. Given all the drug testing and such, it is highly unlikely this boxer was on the juice either. This is not the 1976 East German swim team.
This fits right in with the big brouhaha over the Last Supper tableau (which the originators are claiming was all about Dionysius. ) What does it all really matter? We take up to so much time posting our objections on line, incorporate this stuff into sermons to prove how debauched the world is, and take it all personally. But, Jesus did not tell us to solve every issue or bad taste art production, nor take it all personally (France has been into all kinds of weird stuff the last century and a half), but He did tell us to share the gospel and do works of righteousness so that others will come to saving grace. I have yet to have seen one article in a Christian publication about evangelistic efforts at the games. We need a complete reset on what is important to Christians.
Linn,
The irony is that there are many Christian athletes at the Games whose efforts, attitudes, conduct, speech, and actions are witnesses for Christ. That Brazilian skateboarder who won the bronze medal is one example.
Here are some others:
https://sportsspectrum.com/sport/olympics/2024/07/25/20-christ-following-us-olympians-2024-paris-games/
I almost didn’t publish this one…didn’t want to officiate a brawl and there is a measure of personal hypocrisy in my own thoughts.
When I saw the first report I wanted to fly to France and blast the alleged transgender guy in the face and I was disgusted that no man in attendance had not done so.
Transgender women have no place in women’s sports…none whatsofreaking ever.
The intersex complication changes the picture…but I understand the outrage.
Even the liberal LA times has taken up this story, and seems to be sympathetic to the woman knocked to the ground with a punch from The Algerian athlete. There’s a photo of her sobbing on the ground after the blow. It’s heart breaking.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16324-intersex
Disclaimer: I disagree with the discussion of sex/ gender at the end of the article, but the description of the condition is helpful.
Notice that if you’re intersex you may not even know until you’re an adult. Some parents may raise a child as one sex, and then the child discovers that they are more like the other sex. I feel sorry for both the Algerian boxer and the one she hit. But, I go back to my original premise that it’s not something Christians need to take such offense at, especially if they understand what intersex means.
One likely possibility is that Khelif suffers from hyperandrogenism. Biologically she is 46, XX.
Which why all the extremists on both sides of the transgender debate need to stop. There are a myriad of factors that determine gender (which is not exactly same as biological sex) and that is assuming all chromosomes the cells in the person’s body are the same (google the term genetic chimera for starters). The bomb throwers on both sides really need to study some molecular genetics, cell biology, and the like and get a clue. Fortunately at least God has a clue. I think this is illustrated when the Apostle Paul talks about eunuchs from birth.
In the past, females with hyperandrogenism (and developed a lot of facial hair as a result) would be the classic circus freak of the bearded lady and the like. Women like were also unable to have children as they had either missing or extremely underdeveloped internal sex organs. But hey, break out the pitchforks because God forbid she was born with a genetic makeup that makes too much of one hormone and not enough of another. Why don’t these “Christians” burn her as a witch why they are at it?
Hey Kevin,
Back in the old days, whenever Michael or I wrote or said something controversial, the other one would say “Duck”.
You are a Phillies fan so watching you get punched in the face doesn’t bother me haha 🙂
You said
“I do not know if it was the right decision or not to allow Iman Khelif to participate in women’s boxing in the Olympics”.
Guess what? Neither does the IOC and I know because I have dealt with WADA and the IOC for most of my career, and I know how they operate.
What the IOC is afraid of is offending the ABC+ posse. This situation is what they consider a “gray area”, which means they can appease the folks they fear, and damn the rest.
As someone who has coached young people at that level for 4 decades, I would say that unless you are 100% certain this individual is a woman, and there is mixed opinion on this, why take the chance of this individual killing someone?
Phil,
And your 100% certainty is based on what? Genetics confirmation of 2 X Chromosomes? I gave an example where someone is genetically female but exhibits these traits that doesn’t involve juicing or surgery.
For starters, I would expect to see this diagnosis, and then I would consult at least 2 other experts in the field for confirmation.
Until I see a diagnosis from a real dr, and not some Algerian quack either, that in individual isn’t going in the ring against a female.
Hope that helps…you get the last word.
Peace out
This is no more a close case than the case of an epileptic who wants to be a commercial airline pilot.
An intersex individual who fails a gender test to be a woman has no business competing in combat sports against a woman.
I don’t have the right to do or be whatever or whoever I want to be. I would love to play in the NBA. I wish I could model for Ralph Lauren. I would love to be an ordained preacher. But through genetics, choices I’ve made during my life, my personality, and God’s providence, those vocations are closed to me.
I can’t do or be whatever I feel. And neither should anyone else. Our culture needs to get over the delusion that society has to cater to our our personal preferences.
I certainly lean towards Khelif not being eligible to compete in women’s sports. However, I also certainly am not knowledgeable enough of the medical markers and science of this issue, nor of where Khelif would measure in all these things, to make an informed, judicious decision.
At the very least, I think we ought to be able to recognize in the case of Khelif, and apparently another women’s Olympic boxer in the same boat, this is not a culture war or transgender rights power play they are trying to carry out. Rather, it is a very unfortunate circumstance in life that has placed them in this predicament. Certainly there can be Olympic governing bodies and organizations and governments of various countries who could be playing politics with this. But we ought to be careful in lashing out or condemning in any way that brings shame or hurt upon these individual boxers.
Kevin, what about the hurt that is brought upon all the other women who are put in the untenable position of seeing their dreams destroyed by woke bureaucrats who put the biological abnormalities in women’s sports?
The truth should not be suppressed for the sake of not hurting the feelings of someone who has no business in women’s sports.
Should I be careful not to hurt the feelings of a pedophile who claims he was born that way who wants to work in a daycare center?
Jean,
I already expressed concern in my original article of physical harm being brought to women. And again, I repeat that I lean towards not allowing Khelif to participate in women’s boxing, but I withhold from making a definitive declaration because I am just not knowledgeable enough about the medical and science in general, nor the specifics to Khelif as to just how “male” she may or not be. I do not think it is prudent for me to make declarative statements on things where I don’t feel I have clear enough knowledge or insight.
As for being careful of not hurting feelings, the case of a pedophile is a totally different situation. One who is a pedophile has willingly chosen to act out evil behaviors. One who was born intersex had no choice in the matter, and many times are probably just trying their best to navigate tough and awkward decisions and situations in life
Jean (and others).
You miss the point.
Define fail a gender test for starters? What are the test(s)? The markers for determining male or female? One can have a 46,XX karotype which makes one genetically and biologically female but have hyperandrogenism caused by congenital adrenal hyperplasia (which is a genetic disorder caused by a faulty CYP21A2 gene).
So what is the truth there? Which gender box do you put them in? But before you answer, one of the main arguments against the transgender push in society by the critics is that most of the trans people who want to be female are genetically male with a 46, XY karotype and that should determine one’s gender. If you insist that biology and genetics (the presence or not of a Y chromosome) is the determining factor of what gender box you belong, then to be intellectually honest and consistent, people in the circumstances above would have to be classified as female.
I have to come clean on this one.
Many know me as a leftist to the extreme, and that is “mostly” true. I consider myself an LGBTQ advocate. I have family that are on the LGBTQ spectrum, and friends as well. I know them enough to know that the choice of identity for them is clear. I am familiar enough to not question, and even respect.
However, biological males should not be in female sports. I personally believe it’s edging on insane to even discuss why. The biological differences are blatant, undeniable, and irrefutable. I don’t stand in the face of science to be “woke” enough to even consider such nonsense.
Aside from that, there is an obvious reason why sports are split by gender. There are cases when women outshine men in particular sports, Caitlin Clark being a stunning example. However, statistically it’s not normative.
This particular instance is not a transgender issue. There is no evidence to support or suggest otherwise. The outlandish and ignorant seething Christian hatred I have seen regarding this particular circumstance is embarrassing. What it underscores for me is simply the hatred humanity is capable of.
You know how many UFC fights I have watched where an opponent simply falls flat due to an unreal hit in a sanctioned fight? This situation is not unique.
I do not advocate for hatred of anyone, only that people who are not female should not compete as a female in sports. I understand that this person was previously disqualified from competing in boxing as a female by two independent tests. I’m not going to argue about whether the tests were accurate or fair. There is no evidence to my knowledge that this person was singled out with a biased or inaccurate test. This isn’t a close case in IMO.
I’m not advocating for culture wars either. However, Christians are entrusted with the truth and should be truth tellers – consistent truth tellers. We cannot shrink back from the truth. God’s people are supposed to be light in a dark world. There is no other source of light other than what God’s people provide in this dark, and growing darker, world.
In a pagan culture, the truth will hurt some people’s feelings; it will convict some people of sin; it will make some people angry; it will make some people hate us; but it should and must offer everyone the forgiveness of their sins through faith in Jesus Christ; life and salvation in his name. But always by way of truth.
I am somewhat optimistic that the tide is turning against DEI and the tenants known as woke. Some companies are pulling back on DEI programs. Elite universities are being exposed for the evil that DEI and wokeism have provoked. The backlash against Budweiser and Target have been a wakeup call in many board rooms.
This have gotten so ridiculous with the use of pronouns and toilet rights that ordinary people are beginning to say enough is enough. Let’s hope our society can get a grip on reality, return to some semblance of shared morality, and look back in a couple decades on this period as a silly season in the development of western civilization.
What is DEI?
Bring us up to speed in the acronym soup.
Diversity, equality, inclusion.
Jean,
I have given up on ever winning the culture wars. I also grew up in a mixed race environment in a large city and I saw how bad racial discrimination can be. Some DEI rules protect me in the workplace as both a disabled woman and as a senior citizen, so I won’t toss out everything about DEI.
Flip side-I don’t buy into the trans or gay lifestyle, but I don’t regard them as a “special” group of sinners- just people for whom Jesus died, just like He died for me. I work with a number of them. We have discussed what I believe, and it’s eye-opening for them when I tell them that God’s standard is celibacy or heterosexual marriage, not 31 flavors of constantly changing sexual preferences. I do my job (well, I hope) and I am polite and friendly. That is what I believe God asks me to do, as well as pray for them..
As for one poor boxer from Algeria, probably soon to be forgotten in one or two news cycles, I do not see the point of getting my panties in a bunch over that. This too shall pass, until the next outrageous affront comes along. I just keep coming back to the need to give a reason for the hope that is in me. If I’m ever forced to do anything at school that violates my conscience, I’ll be gone. So far, it hasn’t happened and I continue to pray that conversations may one day bring fruit for the glory of Christ.
Linn,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I’m certainly not arguing with you. Various comments from others give me food for thought and thoughts for comment.
For years, many Christians (myself included) have thought: “To each their own.” And I have said and heard: “Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”
Because of the laissez-faire attitudes of many of us, we have ceded major influence over the direction of our culture and society to aggressive, proactive, loud and coercive ideologies, such as gender fluidity, DEI and wokeism.
In the ostensible name of eliminating bigotry, racism and division, using terms such as “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion,” DEI actually creates, institutionalizes and perpetuates bigotry, racism and division.
I was watching the Olympics last week, and their was one personal profile about a male diver who had recently gotten married and his husband was in the stands. Another story was about an American female basketball player who had recently become a first time mom with her wife. The promotion of sexual perversion is being purposely shoved down our (and our children’s) viewing throats in almost all forms of media and public education.
I don’t think Christians need to obsess about cultural perversion, but neither do I think I can love my neighbor or my country if I sit back silently watching our country saunter its way down the toilet.
It is now apparent the IOC has become an organization that gets off on trolling and gaslighting.
Someone define intersex according to the field under which he is diagnosed – psychology or medicine…
Just a few edit suggestions –
“He has too many male characteristics…”
“His opponent…”
“He won his first fight…”, etc.
If Cyborg can be banned from the UFC and other events for steroids, Khelif can be prohibited from beating women for possessing , gosh, manhood, I suppose. What was sublime (awful, really, but relative to this post) was the fact that the IOC is so woke they mock Christ and Christians, gaslight everyone (turns out some of the main actors admitted in posts that their intention was to parody Christianity, since deleted) pretend to celebrate women in sports, and then let a man in the ring and beat on women. In a dark way, that’s funny. Satan must be ROFLHAO.
Looks like a male, walks like a male, tests as a male, fights like a girl. Must be a girl, according to some. ROFLHAO…
What’s ridiculous is that so many in Christendom play into this.
There is an obvious caveat.
I have not much info on this Algerian boxer, yet. But I read that gender care is illegal in Algeria. So if he did not move out of Algeria and is a resident there it would not be unheard of that if he is a hermaphrodite then his parents thought it best to leave his female genitalia and remove the male genitalia. Infant intersex surgery is not banned in Algeria. I am assuming this is what is meant by the term “infant intersex surgery”. Still, tests XY and no deficiency in testosterone.
Then there’s the more common method. Algerian child moves away to a western country like Britain, takes up boxing, decides he feels like Shania Twain, and only uses his citizenship status in Algeria to fight as a woman for Algeria, raising in the west. Algerian Olympic and government officials, maybe feeling pragmatic maybe said, “why not? Your name is… female? Your passport says female? Sweet.”
That said, all the make up in the world cannot cover the fact that that XY musculo- skeletal structure Kehelif posseses is more akin to Floyd Mayweather Jr than any of the XX fighters he faced.
If you don’t like my edit suggestions this would make a great Huffpost or OutSports piece.
Jerod,
We were actually doing quite well in this discussion before you came along with your hateful, ignorant tropes. Your attitude is exactly what I speak to in the article.
For me, apart from all the noise and misinformation, comes down to a rights, fairness, and safety issue. And it is an issue that should be processed, and then decisions made.
I know it’s not the same thing, but raising a special needs child can create all sorts of challenges to be navigated. Over the past 32 years we’ve had to consider rights/fairness/safety for our DS child/adult. Sometimes we have to advocate hard for him. Sometimes we think it best to not advocate because of how others are impacted. Sometimes we have to push him. Sometimes we have to slow down for him. In the special needs world, there are some parents who think that their child deserves everything. We never felt like that. We want to work with society, not impose on society. We’ve made calls that some people don’t agree with. What we have done is try to think about everyone, not just one person.
PH,
I’ve read your thoughts on this matter here and on Facebook…thank you for getting to the heart of the issue and dealing with the hard realities. Much respect from here…
Michael, I finally deletd my FB post on the issue because of so many shallow/misinformed/hurtful comments. But I had really good interaction with a woman who was a student in my youth group. She’s an atheist lesbian, so we’re on different ends of the moral spectrum, but the convo was respectful. We talked even more through DMs. Amazing how a little respect and listening can result in productive interactions.
Kevin
I apologize if that came off as hateful. There was a bit of sarcasm, yes. I don’t hate you or anyone.
I will admit to ignorance, but not to hate. I don’t blame the boxer, if indeed there is the existence of CAIS, hermaphrodiism, or a rare genetic anomaly that qualifies him to be her, or indeed is confusing both medically and psychologically.
Btw, Was Shania Twain a trope? I thought I was being original.
For instance, I am ignorant of how he was deemed to have XY chromosomes. Are you ignorant of this as well? Can someone shed light on this, really asking here.
Can you tell me the field under which he was diagnosed? Medicine, Psychology?
Is it hateful to suggest you are talented enough to write for larger outlets? It was sarcastic, but I don’t hate you or anyone from the lgbtq+ community at all.
Is it hateful to acknowledge similarities in height and weight to Floyd Mayweather? Is hateful to use the information available from recent media events to suggest they troll Christians and conservatives in general – that they hide the Ace, play their hand, and then castigate you for looking up their sleeve? I am using the information available. If you have more please share it.
To everyone else, I wish to apologize for coming off as hateful if indeed you thought that. As Dave Chapelle pointed out, that is a person [created in God’s image] who is going through something most of us will never understand. Imane Khelif is being used as a political football. I like Linn’s initial post on this matter. Not that it matters.
Jerod,
Apologies and the word “if” don’t go together.
Jerod, you can begin stopping your hate and ignorance by stopping to continually refer to Imane Khelif as “he”. Khelif was unfortunately born intersex, a condition she had no choice in or control over. However, she was raised as and identified as a female her entire life. Ostensibly the doctors and her parents, while likely agonizing over the circumstance, decided that Imane was more female than male. She then has lived her entire life accordingly. Your insistence to keep referring to her as “he” only displays your continued hate and ignorance, and once again, demonstrates exactly what I wrote about in my article.
Also, as Jean said, real apologies do not contain the word “if”. All the more, repeating some of the exact same offensive behavior while issuing a supposed apology only completely invalidates any such attempt at an apology.
Okay, point taken. It’s not hate, though. I previously made your point about the intersex condition. I have followed sports like track and swimming and MMA for a time. There are more transwomen dominating their fields. This is a good reference for anyone like myself with ignorance on the Imane Khelif issue. Simple, informative, and from a Christian viewpoint. I hope you will accept my apology.
https://youtu.be/etRJsme3oM8?si=2D_bWCB6FeFUGB39
That is to say I had a knee jerk reaction. It’s what I get for posting late without letting it sit.
The tongue is a fire. I am sorry for setting one here.
Again, thank you Jerod, for your apology this time around.
I have had to repent about this particular situation. When I first saw the fight, especially after that “Dionysius” debacle (I’m sorry, but I work for a company that does hyper-vetting before ANY message goes out to the public. You can’t convince me that the parties involved there didn’t realize it would be offensive to Christians), I was outraged, and posted a reply to a friend on Social Media accordingly.
Then I decided to go do some research. (Yes, I know I got that backwards, I’m confessing my sins to my fellow believers now).
Not to be “Captain Obvious”, but it would seem that the approach to this discussion that is both “common sense” and charitable would be:
1. Imane Khelif can certainly not be blamed for the physical state in which she was born, or for any disorders she might have.
2. Since she has not claimed to be transgender or to embrace LGBTQ ideology, none of us has any right attaching that stigma to her.
3. She deserves our “structured support” rather than ostracism. Society doesn’t know what to do with her, and there’s a very high likelihood she doesn’t know what to do with herself. She can’t be blamed for her confusion any more than we can be blamed for ours.
4. We need to realize her options in life are relatively limited. I am not meaning to speak derogatorily of her in any way, but the simple facts are that her biological condition probably means that not many men in her culture would desire her as a wife, and in that culture she may be unemployable in many of the roles that might otherwise provide opportunity for women. She is probably trying to express herself in what she perceives to be one of the only avenues she has available to her.
5. The facts show that she is not in fact a “killing machine” – while there is an infamous video of her fighting another woman and beating her up, a quick Google will show that her career has not been all that spectacular up until the Olympics – she has in fact been beaten by 9 FEMALE opponents.
That being said,
6. Her condition is probably unusual enough to warrant her being barred from “normal” competition against biological female boxers. Jean’s position earlier in the thread probably makes the most sense here. She has a right to pursue her life, but perhaps competition against men boxers, or competition against “qualified” women who will voluntarily compete with her (without feeling the pressure of knowing this is the only path to a medal) would be the best way for her to express that.
7. She is a perfect candidate for the Body of Christ. We are a society of outcasts and misfits, chosen and called by our Lord into One Body. It is in that kind of environment that she can find the love, acceptance, and place that she needs. Let’s pray for her salvation.
The hardest part may be that when she returns to her community *everybody* knows.
The link I posted earlier makes a great point, Michael Phelps has a host of naturally occurring physiological abnormalities that make him such a great swimmer, but no one is barring him from competition. If Imane’s rare genetic disorder means she has more resemblance musculo- skeletally to a male boxer while possessing female organs and hormones naturally, yet the testosterone is also natural, then how can she be barred from female competition? An Irish female boxer also made the point she has beaten by women 9 times. Every female boxer knows, or should know, that at some point they are going to get thrashed.
Now that the cat is out of the bag with this boxer, Khelif and family may need to relocate from Algeria to France. I would not be surprised if some Muslim extremist tries to kill them in Algeria.
Terrie, good words.