36 Comments
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Rachel's avatar

TERFs are attacking this woman *in the name of feminism*!

If a person who was born a girl and has lived her whole life as a girl and a woman is not woman enough, then who is? Who else are you going to target? Are you going after butch lesbians next? Or tomboys? Or straight cis women with short hair and strong jawlines?

Who made you the arbiter of womanhood?

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Ruxine's avatar

Are they still pretending to be protecting women? When on the side of donald "grab her by the pussy" trump? I feel like the mask is off, I don't see how any motive other than racism and misogyny can be defended for these attacks.

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Alex's avatar

And taking away rights from women too...

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rc4797's avatar

I watched the bout and the decision and teared up. So much bullshit that this WOMAN had to put up with just because of reactionary hateful scumbags. I hope their heads explode.

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DEL's avatar

YES! So incredibly happy for her!

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Erinyes's avatar

She did it! Transphobia couldn't stop our cis champion!

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Karin Johnson's avatar

Thank you for this very good piece and for all of your work protecting and advocating for transgender people.

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Consuelo Beck-Sague, MD's avatar

And cisgender people. And everyone.

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Sandra's avatar

The public policing of women’s bodies - especially based on stereotypes of what a woman is “supposed to look like” as in this case - is absolutely deplorable. This is the problem with transvestigations and anti-trans hysteria - they often boomerang back to affect non conforming cis women (while, ironically, not affecting some trans women who better confirm to stereotypes). Congratulations to Khalif for her gold medal. I’d like to think this will silence the haters, but probably not.

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John Rawls, Jr.'s avatar

Bravo to Khelif and bravo to you for your outstanding reporting! It does our hearts good!!

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Melody (she/her)'s avatar

I wish more of these articles, rather than buying into the premise that being accused of being transgender is the wrong being commited here, as if applying that label must be defended against and disproven...would instead carry a line of: So what if she was? Stfu and sit down you misinformed bigots.

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Attie's avatar

I agree. The conversation should never be about vindicating someone for NOT being trans, but it is instead worth spotlighting a major morality and rationality loss for TERFs and anti-trans bigots by spotlighting proof they are just hypocritally massive misogynists harming ALL women and confusing identity with conservative conformism.

Their tyranical need to control everyone else's identity, expression, and appearance should be obviously concerning to anyone with a sense of self, autonomy, and compassion for their fellow humans. Should be...either way, worth pointing out.

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Patrick V's avatar

Best news of the week.

Cheers, cheers, cheers.

Thank you, Erin!

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Ivy's avatar

Congrats to her. Really sucks that her win will be shadowed by bigots. Hope she can drown them out.

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Lara Spain's avatar

Wonderful!! So incredibly happy for her!

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Joan the Dork's avatar

It looks for all the world like the IBA's Putin mouthpiece of a president merely capitalized on the inevitable consequences of transvestigation becoming a routine part of this bullshit culture war: that any woman, at any time, can be accused of secretly being trans, with zero verifiable evidence supporting. That being done, on the basis of the accusation alone, she will not only have all of her achievements and her very identity called into question, but she'll also be used as a weapon against transgender people as a whole demographic, regardless of whether she's actually one of us or not... and as a tool to enforce conservative notions of femininity as well, through the terror of being subjected to the same treatment for failure to conform.

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Johnny Wallflower's avatar

Fan Fucking Tastic. Good for her!

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Gillian Rosheuvel's avatar

I've never been interested in boxing, but I am delighted for Imane Khelif!

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Consuelo Beck-Sague, MD's avatar

Such a blessing! What wonderful news! Thank you Erin!

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Rachel Muir's avatar

A Russian trolling expedition from the start to cause division at the Olympics and they failed badly, even though the usual suspects in the States and elsewhere were willing stooges. In some alternate universe the critics would apologize and learn from their mistakes, but I don't expect that to happen. They all adhere to the Roy Cohn strategy of never admitting a mistake. and never cease to attack. Besides, it was never about factual information; they -- and by they I mean the Trumps and Rowlings and Gaines -- will not give up on their grift.

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