WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Strength & Dignity: What is a Woman? The Olympic Boxing Match Needs the Answer

Episode Date: August 15, 2024

Michaela discusses the recent Olympic boxing event that raised questions over gender eligibility tests, biology, and fairness in women's sports. 

Hello and welcome to strength and dignity. I'm Michaela Estreuth, and you're listening to Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. So today we're going to start with the Ms. Magazine article and then dive into a deeper story that has been in the news for a while now the past week or two. It's involving the Paris Olympics. Not the opening ceremony. We could definitely talk about that. But what we're going to talk about is actually a competition. a boxing competition and questions over gender, questions over identity, questions over women's sports.

And of course, Ms. Magazine had interesting and yet little to say on it. Basically what Ms. Magazine did is they printed four paragraphs, basically praising the gold medalist who won, whose gender test she failed, he failed. it's very confusing. Basically, Ms. Magazine, this author, was outraged that other people were outraged about the victory. And so they post probably like 100 words, max. And then they repost an article from 1988 about it was on chromosome count is what it's called. And it seems to be a different, a completely obviously different circumstance with a woman who's an athlete.

And let's just first clarify. that gender test, gender screening, all of that was a lot harder at the time. And I'm not even going to go into the article in 1988 because it's honestly irrelevant in comparison to 2024. But it seems to be a case of intersex, not a case of transgender identity, which is different is all I have to say on that. And so, yeah, Ms. Magazine was obviously vocal, but also. didn't have much to say except, oh, this has been going on for so many decades, and yet

it's completely different situations. So let's start with what Ms. Magazine had to say in an article titled, Chromocon Cow, Who Gets to Decide Which Athletes Are Feminine Enough to Compete? Well, this article, first of all, is by Allison Carlson, and not a fan of the headline because it wasn't about who gets to decide about feminine enough. That's not the question. It's not how feminine are you. It's are you a woman? And there's a really clear answer to that.

Do you have two X chromosomes or do you have an X and a Y chromosome? Because those are different. Men have X, Y chromosomes. Women have two X's. And so if you have an X, Y chromosome, you're not a woman. There are other factors that indicate if you're a woman, aka biology, but the genetic test test the chromosomes and says, do you have an X, Y chromosome?

Because if you do, then you're not a woman. And so it's not about how feminine are you, is the first question. They're just wrong about that. And then heading into her article, she says, at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Algerian boxer Iman Khalif made headlines after a match with Italian boxer Angela Karini,

during which Karini dropped out after just 46 seconds, declaring that, quote, she never felt a punch like this. A subsequent right-wing media firestorm spurred by prominent online figures spread disinformation that Khalif was transgender and was further fueled by the news that she had previously failed a gender eligibility test. Khalif went on to win gold for her weight class. Okay, so we'll get into the details, but first I just want to play a few clips that give you context of the story. So the first one you're going to hear, it's going to be hard to listen to

just because it is mostly foreign languages that, or unless you speak Italian and can understand what she's saying, but I don't. But there is an English announcer who's kind of describing what's going on, but I just want you to hear a little bit of this. So this is the actual, this is actual footage of the Olympic event between the Algerian boxer Khalif and the Italian. boxer Karini. Solid straight right hand from Khalif there. About being pulled off by the referee. Karini looking angry in the corner there with a corner.

Just referee calls both fighters to the center. They're demonstrating from Karini. She talks to her corner. She's not happy about something. We'll wait on the results here. Kaliya Ran from Algeria Kaleef taking the win

as Kourini abandoned the bout She's born to her knees Okay so I know it's obviously hard to just hear that and not see it But it is it's really heart-wrenching to watch What I played was the second time that in 46 seconds it said that she was that she ended right she um was called the match was called off basically but that that was the second time that she left not left the rink but like went to the

side of the ring to talk to her coach the first time he tightened her helmet and she was basically she had gotten hit pretty hard and she was just like taking a minute but she goes right in after that first time going off and within probably three seconds she gets punched in the nose and the ref calls it off. And so she goes off to the side and is pulling off her gloves and taking off her things. And it's just so sad to watch. And you can't, unless you can't, again, unless you speak Italian, you don't know what she's saying. But on the screen, there's subtitles that she says, it's not fair.

It's not fair. And she starts to cry after they announce the Algerian as the winner and just falls to her knees in just absolute sadness. And, I mean, you can only imagine how far she's come. at the 2024 Olympics. This is a huge historic moment for her and a place of pride for her family and her country. And within 46 seconds, her match is called off.

And so I wanted to play a little bit about who Karini is. This is another video on YouTube. Okay, so here's that video. Hey, everyone. Today, I want to share an incredible yet heart-wrenching story from the Paris Olympics. Meet Angela Karini, the 25-year-old. Italian boxer who carried the weight of a legacy on her shoulders.

Angela's journey into boxing started with clay pigeon shooting inspired by her brother and guided by her father. Nicknamed Tiger, she earned silver medals in world and European championships. But this year her Olympic dream took a dramatic turn. In just 46 seconds, her bout against Algerian opponent Imane Caliph came to an abrupt end. Angela faced punches so intense that they left her nose bleeding and her breath short. overwhelmed by the pain and the thought of her family watching, she made the agonizing decision to walk out of the ring. The controversy didn't stop there. Kaleef had previously been disqualified from the world championships due to an unspecified gender eligibility test.

This fueled debates about her participation in the Olympics, but Angela made it clear her decision was solely based on the physical pain she endured. So the video goes on to tell a little bit more of the story and her response. One thing that the video does reference is that you can see in the video and the clip of the match is that Angela didn't shake Khalif's hand or, you know, congratulate. And so she expresses regret for that. But she was just so overcome with the defeat and with the physical pain, but also just the sadness and heartbrokenness of coming so far. and then immediately being out. And one thing, this is a side note that I haven't seen anyone make a point on, but in this specific video that I just played in which it's showing a lot of clips

from the actual match, I got very frustrated because, I mean, when you watch the actual match, you can definitely see the different and physical appearance between Khalif and Karini, or Angela is her first name. And, I mean, Kalif is much stronger, much taller, much broader. Also, physical anatomy is just lacking for Khalif in comparison to Karini in terms of looking like a woman. And I think everyone knows exactly what I'm referencing, but it's just, it's so stark. Like, I, it's just pretty. It's just pretty. evident that there's a difference. And then I got, I got really frustrated watching this video because when Khalif goes up to shake Karini's hand or to see, you know, well done, so she,

I'm calling her she, but it's hard for me to even do that, is evidently very proud of the fact of the victory. And he, she hits her, hits Karini in the chest. Like the way that a man would do like a Dap up and, you know, slap guy on the back or if you're like walking by like pat each other's chest, that's like a very masculine male thing to do. But it's not something that women do. And I saw that and I was like, first of all, that's a male action. And second of all, he's like kind of in a way assaulting a woman. And it's not, it wasn't like a hit. It was like a hey, good job or, you know, well done.

But still, like not, you know, an appropriate space for a woman. Anyways. So that's a side note. But it was just something that I observed that seemed so obvious. And yet people are frustrated that anyone's even questioning Khalif's gender test. You're listening to Strength and Dignity. This is Michaela Estreuth. And today we're talking about the Paris Olympics.

and women's sports, but specifically Angela Karini's exit at the Paris Olympics after she was defeated by Algerian Khalif in a boxing match. And there are questions over Khalif's gender test. So Khalif failed a gender eligibility test for the world boxing championships. And so, but then she was cleared, or he was cleared, to participate in. in the Olympics. And so now there's all of this controversy around, is that even allowed? Or are there different standards? Why are there different standards? Why was it cleared for the Olympics, but not for the world championships? And Ms. Magazine chimed in. First of all, she just wanted to,

the author, Alison Carlson, wants to clarify that the test legitimacy has been called into question. So instead of questioning the fact that Kleefe has likely an X and Y chromosome, she says, well, the test is probably faulty. So in her argument, she says, in the 21st century, as conservatives increasingly use rhetoric of fairness to try to prevent trans women and girls from competing in sports, all while neglecting actual supports for gender equality in sports like Title IX, it's worth interrogating the motivations behind these states. test, which more often than not end up singling out black women and categorically exclude trans people from the world of professional sports. Okay, so I, she doesn't reference anything of why she says that it's targeting black women. And so I don't understand that claim. But what is so fascinating, not even fascinating isn't the right word, honestly, just aggravating

and frustrating, is that she claims. that conservatives don't want women to be in sports. She's saying that they're against women's sports, but what they're actually against is transgender men being in women's sports. So men who now associate or identify as women who have gone through transgender surgeries or hormone medication, what have you. And conservatives are saying, no, you can't let them compete in women's sports because they want to protect women's sports for the very reason that women weren't allowed to compete in sports for a while and now they are and they have their own categories. They have their own trials.

They have, you know, it's women competing against women. And why has it always been women competing against women? Why isn't it just free for all? Like, why isn't it just men and women in every single competition? Well, you know, anyone who has a brain, I'm sorry, but anyone can answer that. say because men are stronger and faster than women. And that's just true. Their biology makes them more athletic than women. And so if you would have men and women compete in any sport, the men would dominate because they're taller, they're stronger, they're faster. And so we have men's sports

and we have women's sports. And yet now this whole transgender identity has really harmed women who have worked so hard in the sports world. And now within 46 seconds, they're at the Olympics and they have to walk out like Angelina Karini. And it's just heart-wrenching. And so conservatives aren't against women in women's sports. They're actually against transgender identifying in women's sports because it actually then creates a world of men competing against women, which is unfair. And it's no longer women's sports. The other really interesting thing about this, is that you never ever see a transgender. I'm going to say this wrong.

I never say it right. But a woman who was identified as a man, so a transgender man, I guess, competing in men's sports. And why is that? Because the woman's biology before undergoing any transgender surgeries or hormone changes or anything is female. So she doesn't have advantages against the world of men's sports. Like she couldn't even make it there because she is by in fact a woman and can't compete against men. But on the flip side, you have men who are now identifying as women and they can just easily walk into women's sports and claim the gold medal. And it's just not only is it frustrating in terms of that victory or the work that women put in that it's just robbed from them by someone who is.

stronger and broader and taller because of their biology. And that's that's something that I should clarify. It's not just, oh no, their build is is stronger and taller than this woman. Because what the Ms. Magazine article says is, well, who's to say who's more feminine? Like, why is it a measure of femininity? And that's not what it is. It's not a measure of femininity. It's a measure of, are you a woman? do you have two X chromosomes or do you have X Y chromosomes? Because if you have an X and a Y, you're a man. That's just biologically true. And it can't be disproven. And so, anyways, I went off on a tangent, but the point is the only transgender men who then identify as women enter women's sports. And it is extremely unfair. And then in addition to that, it's not only unfair, But it's also unsafe. And, I mean, watching Angela Carini get punched in the face by what I believe is a man, someone with X, Y, chromosomes, then it's unsafe. Like, that's dangerous.

But also in terms of assault, sexual assault, or, you know, you throw in the men can be in women's bathrooms or in women's soccer rooms and they're all on the same team. and, you know, I mean, how many instances of rape will it take for, or sexual assault, for the world to wake up and say, yeah, no, we shouldn't be putting men in women's spaces. That's actually not safe and not wise and quite foolish and actually oppressive to women, actually harming women, and not putting their rights or their safety, as a priority. Instead, it's all about gender identity. It's all about ideology instead of women. Like, women have lost everything that they tried to fight for in terms of women's sports, in terms of recognition, all of it by this transgender movement. And it just, it blows my mind that so many women,

because this Ms. Magazine article is written by women and so many women are saying, no, this is, this is discriminatory against Khalif, and this is discriminatory against transgender's and this is discriminatory against women's sports. When I would say, yeah, it is discriminating against women's sports because you're allowing men to compete. Not because by not allowing a man to compete, that is actually protecting women's sports. and yet the claim is that it is hateful and it's discriminatory and I don't even know where the claim about targeting black women comes from she doesn't cite her sources I have no idea what

she's talking about but my point I guess is that I just pray that people's eyes would be opened because women are now quite honestly in danger and it's really sad to see And just to close, it's, I mean, I obviously got very heated and and ranted about this issue, but it is important to remember that God made us different for a reason, that he made men and women different for a reason. And outside of even the world of sports, he has different roles for men and women, and it's clear in his word what those are. And when men and women function in those designs, it is beautiful. but Genesis 3 and the curse causes men and women both to fight against that design, to buck their heads against the way that they were made and the roles that they are called to.

And it's really sad to see not only how that harms families or the dysfunction that it creates, but the physical harm and abuse that women suffer because men are fighting against God's design. And so I would just like to close with that, that the Lord's design is good, and we ought to return to it. We ought to respect it, teach it, follow it, and honor each other and honor the Lord in our obedience to him in that beautiful design. Thanks for listening to Strength and Dignity. I'm Michaela Estruth, and you're listening to Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.