Olympian and Female Boxer Imane Khelif Has Some Life Lessons for Us
An Athlete faces ongoing insults and deadnaming
Best wishes to an amazing athlete
A female Olympian is undergoing humiliation and abuse from the media, and a significant amount of the public is in on the attack. So I wish her all the strength and support possible as she moves forward.
My thoughts and best wishes are with you, Imane. Stay strong, and “You go, girl!”
The barrage of insults she endured
I was shocked when early yesterday someone informed me of the news surrounding Imane Khelif. The story was misrepresented, though; I was told she was “a man that badly beat a female Olympic fighter.” It is hard to understand why people want to say that she is anything other than what she claims to be. When public conversations are held about LGBTQ+ rights, most express support, so my belief was that most people feel compassion about what it’s like to face the topics that arise for their community.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that Imane is LGBTQ+, as she is not, but rather that people should understand that everyone’s diversity should be respected. LGBTQ+ is a lense we are familiar with as a perspective, in this sense.
