Boxer Imane Khelif is right to say she is a woman

Boxer Imane Khelif is right to say that she is a woman. This is not my opinion, but that of endocrinologists, who are the most credible in this debate.

If the Olympic world champion boxer does indeed suffer from the illness that the media have attached to her, she has the physical advantages of a man, but is also not at the same physical level as men. I will come back to it.

Last week, a French media outlet claimed to have obtained a medical report from the boxer, written by two endocrinologists, including Frenchman Jacques Young. This report states that Khelif suffers from 5 alpha-reductase deficiency, a rare disease that can deform the genitals. In the report, it is even stated that the Algerian does not in fact have a uterus and that she would have testicles inside her body.

This controversial media outlet has been accused of fake news. Imane Khelif filed a complaint for harassment, in particular, against him.

The problem in all this is that this report which leads many people to qualify Imane Khelif as a man instead concludes that the boxer should be considered a… woman.

Agenda antitrans

You read that right. The endocrinologist who co-authored the report, Jacques Young, responded to all this last week in German media outlet DW, saying his name had been used to pass on misinformation to fuel the anti-trans agenda. The DW media transcribed a passage from the report, which indicates that “from the point of view of medical history, the female sex is always favored”.

On the other hand, the endocrinologist never denied the existence of the report, recalling his duty of professional secrecy. But in short, if this relationship exists, should Imane Khelif be considered a man or a woman?

I talked for a long time with a Quebec endocrinologist to get the facts straight. She does not want to be identified, because she does not have time and does not want to be the target of nasty things.

Horrible disease

5 alpha-reductase deficiency is a horrible and extremely rare disease. It takes two parents who have a defective gene. You almost never see them in Canada. Large families with affected members have been found in the Dominican Republic, Turkey and Egypt, among others, according to a MedlinePlus report.

Babies are born with deformed genitals. So a child may have what looks like a vaginal cavity, but this is not the case. He has testicles inside his stomach.

Before puberty, unless testing is done, it is virtually impossible to know that a child has this problem. Especially in Algeria, where the health system is not the most developed and where issues of sexual differentiation are not very popular.

And at puberty, it becomes tragic for those affected. Gradually, they understand that they no longer really know how to identify themselves. They understand that they will not be able to reproduce. They wonder why their voice is changing. On a sexual level, they wonder what is happening to them. And this process does not happen overnight. This can take a very long time to establish.

At the chromosomal level, women who suffer from this disease are men.

So he’s a man? No.

But it’s not that simple. These people, in fact, don’t fit any box.

On the one hand, these people have hidden testicles that produce testosterone. So they have more strength and more cardio.

On the other hand, their illness causes them to lack dihydrotestosterone, unlike men. Dihydrotestosterone is used for virilization. To the hair, to the sweat glands, and it can also influence the muscular portion.

In other words, those who suffer from 5 alpha-reductase deficiency do not have all the physical characteristics of a man. Far from it.

That’s why these people don’t fit into a category. And this is why Imane Khelif is right to say that she is a woman if she is indeed suffering from this disease. The endocrinologist I spoke to is also convinced of this.

Can Imane Khelif fight against other women who don’t have the same advantages? No. It’s unfair. Can she fight against men? Neither. She is not at the same level. And it’s not a question of cheating, the endocrinologist reminds me. She is a prisoner in this complex identity brothel.