Editorial

Today, the Interwebz are full of people calling out the Olympic boxer who won by tap-out. They’re saying a transgender male has no business competing in a women-only category.

Which is, by and large, a fair statement. After all, equality only goes just so far. If we have a special protected competition for women only due to the muscle-producing effects of testosterone on the human physique, it makes perfect sense to disallow biological males. There are those who disagree with this statement, and I’m willing to discuss it.

But it does not apply here.

Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer, has failed testosterone tests in the past. However, Khelif was born a woman, complete with the appropriate organs. She hasn’t been surgically altered; she doesn’t take hormone supplements or performance-enhancing drugs. Her body simply produces more testosterone than the average person.

There are hundreds of distinct disorders that can permit this sort of thing. Somewhere around one in a thousand people have at least some measurable variation from the normal that can impact reproduction and sexual characteristics. Some women go bald later in life; some men develop breasts. It happens, and it’s not as rare as you might think.

There’s an argument to be made to the effect that people with genetic advantages ought not compete in competitive sports. A common-sense approach would suggest that as a simple solution.

As a counter argument, I present to you Michael Phelps.

Now, Mr. Phelps is not transgender. Neither does he have abnormal hormone levels, secondary sexual characteristics, or so on. He is, however, abnormal in many respects, from his freakishly long limbs to his absurd flipper-like hands. His breadth of shoulder, narrow waist, flat ears, and conical skull provide him with significant advantages while passing through water. He’s unusually hydrodynamic.

Should Mr. Phelps have been disqualified due to his biology?

I don’t pretend to have all the answers here, merely some. One of them is, an awful lot of people who really ought to know better saw video of a woman boxer who, after taking a couple of blows, burst into tears and quit her match. Of course they were sympathetic; what kind of ass wouldn’t be? This sympathy rapidly transformed into anger against her opponent, though, which is not appropriate.

Khelif is not some Incredible Hulk; she’s not some massive muscle-bound freak that dwarfs her competition. This is painfully evident to anyone who understands boxing and knows what weight classes mean. She weighs between 135 and 140 pounds, just like her opponent.

Let’s be clear: I outweigh Khelif and her opponent, Carini, combined. Either one of them, I’m convinced, could beat me silly. We’re talking Olympic athletes here, a level of competence and talent that’s orders of magnitude beyond that of any average Joe (or Jane). Sure, it can be argued that, on average or even within a weight class of athletes, a male will have at least a slight advantage all things being equal — but we’re not talking averages. We’re talking individuals, some of whom excel. The Olympics is a competition of excellence, not averages.

And Imane Khelif, when all is said and done, has a record of 9 wins and 5 losses. Mike Tyson she ain’t.

Again: I do not present myself as the Ultimate Arbiter of All Things Just and Fair. I happen to know a fair amount about genetic and hormonal abnormalities, having made rather a study of the subject, but there are experts in the field who know a lot more than I do. I know a little about boxing, but again, there are experts. I do know enough about each to tell you that this is not a simple subject, not amenable to common-sense answers.

And I know that the IOC is legendarily corrupt, the IBA even more so, and whatever internet meme you saw isn’t enough to give you enough knowledge about this topic to pass judgment against someone you’ve never met. Someone’s daughter. Someone’s sister. Someone who’s trained for more than a decade to go to the Olympics.

You should be ashamed of yourselves, people.

In the future, try to remember this rule:
If you don’t know, shut the hell up!

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