Conservatives and “Make America Great Again” commentators are seizing on Olympic boxer Imane Khelif’s interview with the French sports outlet L’Equipe, in which Khelif said she has the SRY gene, a genetic marker typically associated with biological males.
Khelif, who has faced persistent speculation about her sex, said: “We all have different genetics, different hormone levels. I’m not transgender. My difference is natural. This is who I am. I haven’t done anything to change the way nature made me. That’s why I’m not afraid.”
She also said she has taken “hormone treatments to lower my testosterone levels for competitions.”
SRY stands for sex-determining region Y protein, a gene involved in initiating typical male sexual development by triggering testes formation.
The Context
Claims that Khelif is biologically male have circulated for some time, and the boxer has been targeted by President Donald Trump. Trump has repeatedly referred to Khelif as a “male boxer” and has pushed to keep “men out of women’s sports” through a 2025 executive order, arguing that transgender women competing in women’s sports is “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous.”
Criticism from conservatives intensified after Khelif won women’s welterweight gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
What To Know
Khelif qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics despite being disqualified from the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) world championships in 2023 for failing gender eligibility tests. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed Khelif to compete, and later stripped the IBA of its status in June 2023 over concerns about the organization’s governance.
After Khelif defeated Italy’s Angela Carini—who withdrew after taking two punches—critics again raised questions about Khelif’s eligibility. IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said Khelif was “born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport.”
In 2025, a 3 Wire Sports report alleged it had obtained IBA testing documents suggesting Khelif had a male karyotype (the full set of chromosomes). The report was described as unconfirmed and unverified.
With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics approaching, Khelif said that “for the next Games, if I have to take a test, I will. I have no problem with that.”
She also added: “I respect Donald Trump as he is the President of the United States, but the truth is the truth. I am not trans. I am a woman.”
Conservative Reactions
After Khelif’s comments, the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), a group that opposes transgender athletes participating in women’s sports, posted a statement on X asserting: “Algerian Olympic women’s gold medalist Imane Khelif has now confirmed he is male.”
The group added: “With men no longer eligible for Olympic women’s boxing under @RealWorldBoxing rules, Khelif reportedly plans to box professionally in Europe—though he inexplicably says he will still undergo sex screening for the LA 2028 Games in hopes of competing.”
ICONS co-founder Kim Shasby Jones wrote on X: “So he makes himself a weakened version of a man and calls that the peak of female boxing… If you still can’t see how insulting and degrading this is to women and to the basic ethics of sport, you have no business in sports and no respect for women.”
Other conservative figures also weighed in.
American radio and TV host Dana Loesch wrote on X: “Wow had he not admitted it how would we know.”
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck wrote: “Just a reminder that the legacy media stood up for this guy and pretended he was a girl as he bashed in the faces of women who worked their whole lives to get to the Olympics… And he took a gold medal that belonged to a woman. Oh and us conspiracy theorists were right… AGAIN.”
Fox News host Riley Gaines posted: “Where are all the ‘but she’s a woman!’ people now?”
“He’s a man. He’s always been a man (which the IOC knew). He will always be a man. A man was awarded an Olympic gold medal for beating women to a pulp. Nothing can right this wrong, but the IOC can start by revoking his medal,” she added.
What People Are Saying
Khelif said in a recent exclusive interview with CNN: “I’m not transgender. I’m a woman. I want to live my life… Please do not exploit me in your political agendas.”
She added: “Of course, I would accept doing anything I’m required to do to participate in competitions.”
On the IOC’s role, Khelif said: “They should protect women, but they need to pay attention that while protecting women, they shouldn’t hurt other women.”
Former Olympic swimmer and British medalist Sharron Davies MBE wrote on X: “I’m astonished any media are still fooled by this nonsense. Missed 2 world champs (as needed to agreed to a sex test), previous sex test proved male, & we all have eyes.”
What Happens Next
Trump has previously said there will be a “strong form of testing” when asked about possible genetic testing ahead of the 2028 Olympics. If new requirements are introduced, Khelif could face additional screening to compete in Los Angeles.
