Since the initial row dragged in high-profile figures such as Elon Musk and Trump, a leaked medical report has claimed to confirm Imane’s male-ness. This renewed public discourse on the matter, with various Indian media outlets once again casually labelling the athlete as a man. For example, a headline in the Hindustan Times ran, Imane Khelif, Paris Olympics medalist, confirmed a man in leaked medical report , and another article by Livemint claimed Khelif was confirmed as man” following the leak of her medical details. Similar headlines were being carried by a host of mainstream outlets, including The Indian Express and Moneycontrol.
Science suggests that there is a great deal of nuance to gender and identity, concepts that are misrepresented due to a lack of gender studies in traditional education. Reporting Khelif to be a man, based solely on reported biological characteristics is highly misleading when discussing both the medical and societal implications of gender identity. To clear the confusion, let’s look at the official definitions of gender, explore Khelif’s reported medical condition, and review the consequences of how media coverage can amplify misunderstandings and bias. The recent controversy began when a leaked medical report indicated that Khelif has XY chromosomes, internal testes, and lacks a uterus, potentially due to a rare genetic condition called 5-alpha reductase deficiency.
